If this task order were a television show it would be LSI, Leak Scene Investigators. In the latest installment, Irvine, Calif.-based environmental engineering consulting firm England Geosystems, Inc., is acting as a an impartial, third-party evaluator for the Orange County District Attorneys Office, monitoring how well Houston-based Shell Oil is fulfilling its promise to clean up contaminated soil near 130 Southern California gas stations. The job could cost more than $170 million.
England Geosystems, which performed the same task after a similar settlement with Atlantic Richfield Company, will work with the Orange County Health Care Agency, reviewing sample data from groundwater test wells ranging in depth from 15 to more than 100 ft, suggesting more detailed assessments where indicated, and ensuring that the five-year deadline is met. We will concentrate on areas near drinking water sources, also known as sensitive receptors, said England Geosystems project manager/geologist Fabio Minervini.