Recently we completed a detailed site investigation at a large facility dealing with perfluoro-alkyl substances. In it we produced geological, soil, groundwater and remedial volumetric models with EVS. The client was extremely impressed and asked us to conduct more detailed volumetric modelling of a particular source area, the results of which showed a much lower overall contaminant mass in soil than had previously been assumed, moreover the model clearly showed no connectivity between the soil contamination and the groundwater. The groundwater was still contaminated, so the only possibility was that soil in the saturated zone was contaminated, which later turned out to be the case. The client found this very valuable because they were about to approve a $20M expenditure for a groundwater treatment plant, which in light of our volumetrics model would not have been value for money and wouldn’t have addressed the source of the problem. We are now investigating with them immobilisation of the saturated zone contamination instead of groundwater treatment.
As a follow-on from that work, we gave a broader presentation on geostatistics and volumetric modelling to a related agency where we showed a 4DIM model of the same site. They were similarly impressed, their technical director saying within minutes of starting the presentation “this is what I’ve wanted all along”. After showing them what the outputs can be, moreover how we can quantify confidence and uncertainty they could see the benefit of applying this on their estate as a remedial planning and prioritisation tool. Previously, no consultant had gone anywhere near calculating the total contaminant mass on a site, let alone presenting measurements of confidence and uncertainty, and this had been a major issue for them in planning and conducting remedial works. Needless to say, they instantly saw the applicability of EVS to this problem.
Since then, this has been further elevated up the management chain of command to a very senior level individual, who has taken a personal interest in this work and we are presenting to him next week on the same subject.
None of this would have been possible without EVS and within a short space of time many people in our business and our biggest client have seen the benefits that it brings. We expect to leverage that and build a portfolio of work off it. Parallel to that, this has given us the ammunition we need to acquire an EVS enterprise licence, there’s still a bit to do on the approvals process but we’re well on the way. The modularity of EVS is especially popular and the staff who have done the training find it really simple and easy to understand. Along with the powerful interpolation methods it employs, EVS is becoming our preferred tool for delivery of contaminated land projects and is catalysing a change in our investigation methodology.
Thanks for all your support so far, and I hope to be able to get a PO to you for an enterprise licence soon!
Kind Regards,
Andrew Pettingell-Ward
Senior Consultant, Environment and Planning, Aurecon
T +61 2 9465 5898 M +61 405633727
Andrew.Pettingell-Ward@aurecongroup.com
Level 5, 116 Military Road, Neutral Bay, Sydney Australia 2089
PO Box 538, Neutral Bay, NSW 2089
aurecongroup.com