Removal of Hazardous Waste & Material

Abandoned Boat Works, Port of Los Angeles
San Pedro, California

Project Description: The Source Group recently completed the management and fieldwork oversight of the removal of hazardous waste and materials from a former boat works located in the Port of Los Angeles (POLA).

Working under a tight regulatory-driven deadline, we coordinated the emergency removal of compressed gas cylinders, over 100 drums of unknown liquid and solid wastes, and numerous smaller containers of liquid and solid oily, acidic, and flammable materials.

The project required that building interiors be surveyed, containers with unknown or questionable contents be removed, and all recovered materials be staged in a central location to allow field hazardous characterization. One large "sea van" of epoxy based paints, thinners, and other flammable liquids was emptied following Level B safety protocol.

In addition to collecting, characterizing, and properly containerizing the hazardous wastes and material for off-site recycling or disposal, over-used sand blasting grit was identified across the site which required removal. Laboratory testing of the spent blasting grit showed that, because of high metal content, the used blasting grit was a hazardous waste and would require transport to a Class I disposal facility.

Working closely with POLA personnel and our subcontractor, protocols were developed to expedite the safe collection and consolidation of the used grit into a central location. During all work, strict dust control and monitoring procedures were followed to ensure occupants of an adjacent marina were not exposed to fugitive dust during consolidation and loading operations.

Results: Under an accelerated 30 day field work schedule, 60 compressed cylinders, 20 used batteries, and two truck loads of hazardous solid and liquid wastes were removed from the site. Additionally, nearly 2,000 tons of used blasting grit were loaded and transported to a Class I disposal facility.

During the project, approximately 6,000 man-hours were expended, without a single lost time report or recordable injury. The final task in the field portion of the project was a tour of the site for the stakeholders, lead by The Source Group.

Attendees at the tour included personnel from POLA, California EPA, and the Los Angeles Fire Department, Hazardous Materials Division, the lead agency for the project. At the end of the site tour, the LA Fire Dept representative said "in all my 14 years of doing this type of work, I have never had a project turn out so well or go so smoothly."