The project is located roughly 5.7 miles southeast of Wickenburg in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Task 1: Work Plan
A Work Plan will be developed prior to investigating the site, containing
the sampling and analysis plan and health and safety plan.
Task 1.1: Sampling and Analysis Plan
Will include plans for the site investigation and following laboratory analysis.
Quality control and quality assurance measures will be detailed here.
Task 1.2: Health and Safety Plan
Will include potential field and laboratory hazards with suggested mitigation measures and personal protective equipment to avoid the hazard. Training requirements, decontamination procedures, emergency response procedures, and emergency contacts will be detailed.
Task 1.3: Lab Binder/Lab Access
A Lab Binder will be created to gain access to the Civil Engineering Construction Management, and Environmental Engineering Soils Laboratory. The binder will include safety procedures, waste management, and experimental procedures.
Task 2: Site Investigation
A site investigation to collect soil samples as outlined in
the Work Plan will take place in mid-January.
Task 3: Laboratory Analysis
Samples gathered on-site will be transported back to the
Northern Arizona University CENE Soils Lab for further analysis
Task 3.1: Sample Drying
To remove moisture and homogenize the soil, samples will be
dried according to
ASTM Method D2216.
Task 3.2: Sample Sieving
Soil sieving will be performed according to ASTM Method D6913 to prepare for XRF testing.
Task 3.3: X-Ray Fluorescence Testing
XRF analysis will be performed in accordance with EPA Method 6200 to
determine the concentration of contaminants in the soil samples.
Task 3.4: Acid Digestion
Acid digestion will be performed by an external laboratory to prepare for FAA and ICP analysis.
Task 3.5: Flame Atomic Absorption/Inductively Coupled Plasma Analysis
Flame Atomic Absorption and Inductively Coupled Plasma testing will be performed by the same laboratory that completed the acid digestion to confirm arsenic concentrations.
Task 4: Data Analysis
Data collected from the laboratory analysis will be analyzed to determine
Contaminants of Concern (COCs) and analyze quality control measures.
Task 4.1: Identification of Human Health and Ecological COCs
The Arizona Soil Remediation Standards (AZSRS) will be referenced to determine the
Human Health COCs. Ecological COCs will be determined by referencing the
EPA's Environmental Toxicity (ECOTOX) database.
Task 4.2: Identify Exposure Point Concentrations for all COCs
Statistical analysis will be performed on the COC datasets to determine the distribution of the contaminants to calculate the 50% and 95% EPCs for each COC.
Task 4.3: XRF in-situ vs ex-situ Analysis
Statistical analysis will be performed on the XRF data from the ex-situ laboratory analysis
to the in-situ analysis performed during the site investigation to determine the relationships
between XRF in the field and the dried/sieved lab samples.
Task 4.4: XRF ex-situ vs FAA/ICP Analysis
Statistical analysis will be performed on the data from the XRF and FAA/ICP analysis to
determine any relationships between the different analysis methods.
Task 4.5: QA/QC Analysis
Analysis of quality control samples will be performed to evaluate
precision of soil concentration data.
Task 5: Contaminant Pathways
To complete risk analysis of contaminants at the site,
contaminant pathways need to be determined.
Task 5.1: Maps of Contaminant Distribution
Maps showing the distribution of COCs will be developed based on concentrations
found through sampling and laboratory testing of soils at the site.
Task 5.2: Migration Pathways
The possible ways COCs could travel off the site will be identified.
Task 5.3: Site Conceptual Model
A SCM will be developed based on the confirmed and assumed
movement of contaminants at the project location.
Task 6.0: Human Health Risk Assessment
Evaluation of the determined COCs and SCM for the site will
be done to determine risk to human health.
Task 6.1: Toxicity Assessment
Using COCs identified and the EPA's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database,
reference doses and slope factors will be obtained for carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risk.
Task 6.2: Exposure Assessment
Will be performed to identify the type and magnitude of exposure to the COCs.
Task 6.3: Risk Characterization
Carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risk for each COC, excluding lead,
will be calculated for each exposure scenario.
The EPA's Adult Lead Model (ALM) and Integrated Exposure Uptake Biokinetic (IEUBK) model
will be used to estimate the risk associated with potential lead exposure.
Task 7.0: Ecological Risk Assessment
Historical site-related activities require assessment to evaluate
potential hazards to the environment.
Task 7.1: Potential At-Risk Species
Potentially at-risk fauna and flora species in and around the Dragon Mine site
boundary will be identified and documented.
Task 7.2: Area Use Factors
Future uses of the site will be evaluated and an analysis of the impacts on the surrounding
environment will be determined. The severity of the impacts on ecosystems from the
continued use of the site will be determined.
Task 7.3: Determination of Ecological Risk
A qualitative discussion of the ecological risk characterization will be made and will be based on the estimated or measured exposure level for each stressor and plant, animal population, or ecosystem of concern.
Task 8.0: Remedial Action
Goals for site remediation and the design of the
proposed remediation
will be developed in this task.
Task 8.1: Remedial Action Objectives
Remedial Action Objectives (RAOs) will be identified to describe
the goals of cleaning the site in the future.
Task 8.2: Develop Alternatives
The team will create several remediation alternatives to be analyzed.
Task 8.3: Evaluate Alternatives and Select Preferred Alternative
Alternatives developed in Task 8.2 will be compared to each other
using a weighted scoring system.
Task 8.4: Design of Preferred Alternative
The preferred alternative selected in Task 8.3 will be designed as required.
Task 9.0: Project Impacts
Environmental, human health, and economic
impacts of the project will be discussed.
Task 10.0: Project Deliverables
Reports will be completed throughout the duration of the project as required.
Task 10.1: 30% Deliverable
Will include a 30% report and presentation.
Tasks 1.0-3.3 will be completed for this deliverable.
Task 10.2: 60% Deliverable
Will include a 60% report and presentation.
Tasks 3.4-5.0 will be completed for this deliverable
Task 10.3: 90% Deliverable
Will include a 90% report and draft of the project website.
Tasks 6.0-8.0 will be completed for this deliverable.
Task 10.4: Final Deliverable
Will include a final report, presentation, and website.
Task 11.0: Project Management
Documentation will be made throughout the project to keep track of
meetings to stay on schedule and within budget.
Task 11.1: Meetings
Regularly scheduled meetings will be held with the team, grading instructor,
and technical advisor. Meetings with the client will be scheduled at the client's
request to view project progress.
Task 11.2: Schedule Management
The schedule will be tracked following the Gantt Chart which will be
updated as needed to keep the team on track.
Task 11.3: Resource Management
The budget will be maintained by keeping track of expenses in an Excel spreadsheet
and staffing hours in an Hours Log which will be maintained weekly.
Exclusions
The team will not be doing any air or water sampling or analysis.
The project will start on October 17, 2024, and complete on May 6, 2025.
The following table shows the estimated hours to be completed by each staff member
The table below shows the estimated cost of engineering services
