| Insurance
companies rely upon StoneHill to obtain the data required to assess
whether insurance coverage applies to spills or other incidents
involving oils or hazardous materials, and to conduct third party
reviews to minimize wasteful activities and identify inappropriate
costs. StoneHill also conducts site investigations and cleanups
directly for insurance companies and insured parties. Our extensive
hands-on experience and cost control oversight has resulted in significant
cost savings for the insured and their provider. StoneHill also
provides environmental consulting services to assist insurance companies
and commercial/industrial facilities with loss control audits to
reduce liabilities and improve facility compliance, environmental
claim cost control support, and environmental consulting/remediation
services. In many cases StoneHill=s claims review and cost control
oversight involvement has resulted in significant reductions in
the cost of claims.
Selected
Project Summaries
Metals Plating Facility Fire – Eastern MA
|
During the
course of fighting a fire which destroyed a metal plating
facility, application of over 500,000 gallons of water caused
vats containing plating |
|
solutions
to overflow. The spilled solutions flowed across the property
and into a nearby wetland pond and drainage ditches. StoneHill
was retained by one of the involved insurance companies
to assess fire related impacts and to separate |
| those impacts
from contamination due to historical releases at the site.
StoneHill investigated the sources and extent of the metals
contamination, both through review of available background
documentation including historical aerial photography, and
the collection of additional field data. Initial sampling
and analyses of wetland sediments by others utilizing inappropriate
sampling methods, indicated total concentrations of chromium,
nickel, cadmium, copper, and cyanide as great as five percent
by weight in several samples. The sampling program developed
by StoneHill included innovative methods to collect undisturbed
wetland sediment cores to understand the true distribution
of the contamination. Detailed site reconnaissance and trials
of several sampling methods were a key component of obtaining
representative project data which ultimately indicated that
historical discharges from the facility, and not the fire,
were by far the greatest source of the metals contamination
identified, thus substantially reducing the financial liability
of our client. |
| House Relocation for Fuel Spill Remediation
- Randolph, MA |
StoneHill
assumed control of a fuel oil spill remediation project
following a change in the insurance company covering the
continued cost of site |
cleanup. The
previous consultant had expended over $110,000 during the
previous six months attempting to remove oil impacted soil
and groundwater from beneath the residence basement slab.
The previous response actions had included hand excavation
of contaminated soil, shoring of the residence |
|
| foundation,
and groundwater pumping and treatment. Upon taking over
the project, StoneHill determined that the fuel oil release
had impacted soils well beyond the foundation perimeter
requiring additional soil excavation adjacent to and below
the foundation. A review of potential remedial alternatives
and costs indicated that temporary relocation of the home
and demolition of the foundation was a cost effective alternative
which would provide direct access to impacted soil and groundwater.
Once the home was relocated to the backyard, removal of
soil and treatment of groundwater resulted in achieving
pre-spill background conditions within one week. Placement
of the home on a new foundation and reoccupancy by the owners
occurred within four weeks after commencement of StoneHill’s
remediation program. The key to the success of this project
was completing a thorough investigation of the spill extent
to determine the most cost effective remedial alternative
to implement. In all, the cost of StoneHill’s program
which included achieving background conditions and restoration
of the property, was equivalent to the total expense of
the previous six month effort which could have been avoided
had the release been adequately investigated prior to commencing
remedial actions. |
| Residential Oil Spill - Third Party
Review - Abington, MA |
| StoneHill
was retained by an insurance company to conduct a third-party
review of costs associated with the ongoing remediation of
a 200-gallon |
 |
residential oil spill. Costs billed by the cleanup
contractor had exceeded $250,000 and were continuing to rise.
StoneHill’s detailed review of the cleanup contractor’s
invoices and billing records revealed over $65,000 in excessive
billing above industry standards before even |
| considering
the appropriateness of the remedial methods employed during
the cleanup. With regards to methods used, StoneHill identified
issues such as mobilizing a grossly oversized groundwater
treatment system that required 24 hour monitoring to prevent
it from freezing, versus using a small package treatment
system which could have been placed in a heated garage for
a fraction of the cost. Additionally, the contractor considered
the basement cleanup area a permit-required confined space,
requiring that an additional man be present at all times
at the basement entrance. StoneHill identified that by adding
an additional bulkhead entrance to the basement, the confined
space condition would have been eliminated and an estimated
$500 per day would have been saved. StoneHill’s hands-on
field experience was critical to understanding the details
of the remedial operations and implementing cost control
measures.
|
600 State Street, Suite 2
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Telephone: 603-433-1935
Toll Free: 1-800-639-4503
Fax: 603-433-1942
info@stonehillenvironmental.com
| Home | Our
Logo | Our Services | Our
Team | Contact | Directions | Links |
|
