Braun Intertec was retained by TCF Bank to conduct an environmental site assessment (ESA) on property it wished to sell and to offer follow-up recommendations.

Challenges

We originally performed a Phase I ESA at the mixed-use commercial and light industrial facility located in a historically heavy industrial area. Our historical research revealed several potential sources of contamination at the property.

A Phase II ESA addressed areas of concern identified in the Phase I. It initially consisted of installing several soil borings and three shallow groundwater-monitoring wells, and the chemical analyses of both soils and groundwater. Several additional soil borings helped determine the extent of the soil contamination discovered in the initial borings.

Additional groundwater monitoring wells helped characterize groundwater flow and determine the extent of groundwater contamination in the upper two aquifers at the site. Contamination included solvents and petroleum constituents.

Solutions

Both the historical and analytical data suggested that the contamination problem at the site resulted from an upgradient adjoining property. An Offsite Source Determination Letter and a No Further Action Letter were obtained from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. These letters helped our client sell the property to an out-of-state buyer.