PBS Engineering and Environmental worked under subcontract to Atlanta Environmental Management, Inc., to provide support to a soil investigation at this former Army installation in southwest Washington. The 3,800-acre facility includes 18 small arms ranges and detonation areas along with a host of artillery and other munitions firing history over the past century. PBS services included that of an Unexploded Ordinance specialist to inspect soil-sampling areas for potentially hazardous weapons remains. PBS provided quality assurance review of the Sampling and Analysis Plan and the Health and Safety Plan, then completed soil sampling at more than 1000 locations across the large property. PBS sampling teams completed the field activities under a very tight time schedule. PBS staff credentials and soil sampling procedures met requirements of the U.S. EPA and the Washington Department of Ecology. Camp Bonneville was included on is being transferred to Clark County, Washington, under a public benefit conveyance for education, law enforcement, and parks.

PBS Environmental has been involved at the Grand Coulee Dam since the end of July 2000, after a major electrical accident. This incident resulted in severe smoke damage to 80 percent of the left powerhouse. The left powerhouse consists of six floors, nine turbines and several hundred thousand square feet of affected area.

PBS was charged with determining the extent and degree of lead contamination on surfaces. We generated sample plans, performed personal exposure monitoring on cleaning work crews to document exposures with respect to the OSHA action level. PBS developed worker hygiene and interim control procedures for in-house crews and contractors. We also designed clean-up specifications for bidding and assisted in bid evaluations. Scope of post incident wipe cleaning included: floors, horizontal surfaces, process piping, cable trays, control rooms, instrumentation, office areas, HVAC systems & carpeting.

Since our work on the left powerhouse, PBS was awarded an additional IH contract to continue working at Grand Coulee Dam. The contract covers issues such as confined space evaluations, training, asbestos program development and various exposure assessments.

Scope of Services:
Mold & Indoor Air Quality Investigations
Hazardous Materials Abatement Design
Abatement Cost Estimating
Air Monitoring & Abatement Management
Asbestos, Lead, PCB, UST Surveys
Drinking Water Consulting Services

PBS has provided hazardous materials management services to GSA for over nine years. PBS has responded to a variety of issues including federal tenant concerns, water damaged buildings and unforeseen issues related to construction activities. PBS is typically provided very short notice to respond and many projects require after hours presence in occupied buildings. PBS has successfully coordinated with GSA property managers, engineering staff, and tenants as well as with the GSA Region 10 coordinator.

Mold projects have included many sensitive federal building areas including daycare and medical facilities. PBS has provided mold remediation work plans and has provided bid documents for remediation contractors. PBS oversees the remediation projects and provides clearance testing prior to re-occupancy. PBS is often requested to educate effected parties and reduce concerns.

Additionally, since May of 1993, PBS Environmental has performed design and building investigations under an indefinite delivery contract for GSA buildings throughout Washington, Oregon and Alaska. We are typically charged with the tasks of asbestos survey and design, underground storage tank decommissioning, hazardous materials auditing, lead inspections, radon testing and water quality analysis. Our support services are centered around projects such as developing roster specifications for asbestos, lead, UST decommissioning, renovation planning, historical building preservation plans, building engineering reports and prospective development studies. Asbestos and lead assessment projects completed to date include historical buildings such as the Jackson Federal Building (Seattle, WA), Richland Federal Building (Richland, WA), Wenatchee Federal Building (Wenatchee, WA), Gus Solomon Courthouse (Portland), Pioneer Courthouse (Portland), US Customs House (Portland) and US Courthouse (Medford), Edith Green/Wendell Wyatt Building and the Eugene Federal Building. Our involvement includes developing prospectus development studies (PDS), historical building preservation plans (HBPP), building and engineering reports (BER) and contract documents.

PBS provided water quality verification testing for a contractor involved in the construction of spillway improvements at Lower Monumental Dam, located on the Snake River, near Pasco, Washington. The purpose of this project was to monitor water quality for protection of salmon and other fish species concurrent with underwater concrete work at the dam. We provided the necessary water quality sampling plans and monitoring to meet U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requirements for water quality during specific project phases. We provided continuous monitoring for several criteria (conductivity, pH, temperature, etc.) at three locations within the river. The continuous monitors were deployed to the bottom of the Snake River.

PBS Engineering and Environmental was hired to design and manage a comprehensive lead-based paint abatement project on ten buildings at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon. PBS implemented a turnkey project to remove the lead-based paint, restore the historic buildings on the property, and ensure that the project is carried out safely and at a reasonable cost.

PBS's Project Manager developed a schedule, sub-contractor’s plan, work plans and specifications to manage and track project progress. One of the critical aspects of this project was working with the USFW Preservation Contractor and Site Archeologist to ensure all work was performed and documented in accordance with Federal and State Preservation Standards. PBS staff members conducted on-site abatement testing and monitoring during the abatement and restoration process. Strict quality control measures were followed throughout the project period, and all project documentation was compiled for final closeout and historic preservation records at the project’s end.

PBS prepared an environmental assessment for the Seattle office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s development of a new marine research facility at the Hatfield Marine Center. Because of the sensitive nature of the site location on Yaquina Bay, the NEPA process necessitated that an Environmental Assessment be prepared prior to the design documents being completed for the facility's construction. The environmental assessment described proposed facilities and operations, addressed impacts that could be associated with the proposed action, and discussed cumulative impacts associated with continued growth of facilities and operations at the HMSC facility. Finally, the environmental assessment included a discussion of alternatives and list of environmental regulations. Project involved a detailed evaluation of the physical, chemical, biological, cultural and human environment according to NEPA guidelines. PBS participated in public involvement meetings to discuss plans for the facility with interested members of the community. A "No Significant Impact" determination was recommended and accepted and the project design proceeded on schedule.

PBS evaluated fish passage and habitat for anadromous salmonids on the Tongass National Forest, Chichagof Island, Alaska. Evaluations involved fish presence/absence surveys, condition, slope and elevation measurements of culverts, and habitat quality inventories.

This project adhered to the Transportation System Maintenance Handbook with inspections administered by the USFS in the field. PBS and the prime contractor, Stuntzner Engineering and Forestry, implemented a plan to assure quality by placing highly qualified personnel on this project. This approach minimized training time and ensured that work quality would exceed expectations. The effectiveness of this plan was validated by the fact that all fieldwork passed inspection by the Forest Service and no additional work was required.

The project was on a fast-track schedule of four months to include mobilization, on-site data gathering and report generation tasks. PBS and Stuntzner initiated a complex mobilization, on-site review of protocols and completion of the work according to established schedules. The project used a combination of transportation sources including vessel, floatplane, helicopter, and ATVs. Personnel and equipment back-up was implemented throughout the project to adhere to the scheduled timeline. A work schedule was submitted to the USFS at the beginning of work and was used as the basis of monitoring progress. The project was completed according to schedule and adhered to all critical time periods.