Exponent Receives Crew Award from General Motors

Exponent was recently recognized by the General Motors (GM) Worldwide Facilities Group Recognition Awards Program with a Crew Award for contributions to the development of a cost-effective approach for the remediation of Harris Lake in Pontiac, Michigan. The Crew Award recognized Pieter Booth for his role in developing and negotiating a risk-based management option for sediment of Harris lake.

The project team realized a substantial cost savings from this project by implementing innovative ecological risk assessment approaches that incorporated consideration of natural conditions in the lake. For example, although many site-related constituents were present at concentrations that may indicate adverse environmental impacts, the project team was able to show that 1) constituents were not entering the food chain at harmful levels, 2) natural conditions of low dissolved oxygen (that were seasonally present in Harris Lake as well as other nearby lakes) were preventing contact between biota and sediments throughout much of the lake, 3) and although constituents were present at high concentrations, they were not resulting in substantial toxicity to bottom-dwelling organisms. These results allowed the project team to negotiate a remedy with U.S. EPA that consisted of selective application of a thin-layer cap (6-inches) of clean material over the bottom of the lake at water depths of less than 12 feet and no remedial action in deeper portions of the lake. Without the innovative technical approach developed by the project team, negotiations with U.S EPA would have likely resulted in a requirement to remove and replace sediment over the entire lake. Development of this innovative solution for Harris Lake greatly enhanced our client's reputation as an environmentally responsible corporate citizen by providing significant long-term benefits to the environment and the community while avoiding significant costs associated with sediment remediation.

Posted: November 20, 2003

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