Manasota Plating 

Greg Powell, Environmental Scientist, US EPA / Environmental Response 

Team: We're at the Manasota Plating site in Sarasota, Florida supporting EPA 

Region IV during emergency removal of contaminated soil. What's unique about 

this removal operation is generally; contaminated soils are just excavated and 

hauled off to either a hazardous waste landfill or a non-haz landfill. In this case 

the water table is so close to the surface that we're having to do a de-watering 

operation and water treatment in support of the soil removal. Once we've 

accomplished the dewatering we'll excavate the soils and backfill it with clean 

material. 

Narrator: The electroplating company that occupied this site utilized a variety of 

acid baths, inorganic and organic compounds for the plating of copper, brass, 

chrome, and other metals. Many of these elements were found throughout the 

site. 

Matthew B. Monsees, On-Scene Coordinator, US EPA Region IV: Well this 

plant operated for about 40 years as an electroplater. They went out of business 

in the late 80s. There were 61 vats of various sizes, oh, hundreds of drums, and 

hundreds and hundreds of other smaller containers, 3 to 6 inches of sludge on 

the floor. You know, the kind of waste that you expect to find in a plating shop 

that's been in business for 40 years. We found it here. And of course all that has 

been removed, the building's been torn down and we're at this final phase. 
Where we are right now in the project is that we are in the process of installing 

our dewatering system, which is comprised of a horizontal system. We were 

running 4 lines across the length of the site, 3-inch perforated pipelines that are 

installed to a depth of below 6 feet, or limit of excavation will be 6 feet. 

Narrator: Four runs of pipe approximately 120 feet in length, spaced 25 to 30 

feet apart, were used to dewater this site. At the end of each run, a piece of nonperforated pipe or header is attached and plugged above ground so that it can be 

used as a clean out or access port. The other ends of each run are attached to 

an aboveground T-shaped manifold, which is in turn attached to a skid-mounted 

vacuum system. Each of the 4 runs hooked into the manifold is valved so that it 

can be pumped at different flow rates if necessary. The system can be in effect 

fine-tuned to achieve the overall site dewatering level required for excavation. 

The machine used to trench and place the pipe is a modified caterpillar backhoe 

that was originally designed to place pipe at depths of 12 feet or less for farm 

irrigation. This machine installs a polyester fabric sock encased HDPE pipe in a 

straight path as it cuts a 14-inch wide trench approximately 6 feet deep. The 

trench is then backfilled with clean sand. 

Much of the debris found on site was contaminated with cyanide, volatile organic 

compounds, and various heavy metals. A process known as debris washing was 

employed to remove or neutralize those contaminants so that the debris could 

then be disposed of at a Subtitle D non-hazardous waste landfill. The 
government saved a substantial amount of money as a result of not having to 

dispose of the debris at a hazardous waste facility. 

In order to determine groundwater contamination levels, upper aquifer monitor 

wells were installed throughout the site. Samples were drawn and tested from 

each well in order to map out the contaminant levels of volatile organic 

compounds, cadmium, chromium, copper, and zinc. Additional samples were 

drawn from the most contaminated well so that a treatability study could be 

performed for the removal of volatile organics such as trichloroethylene, 

trichloroethane, and dichloroethylene. 

An aquifer test was also performed to determine the aquifer's characteristics. The 

results of this test were applied to a 2-dimensional model of the site in order to 

determine the most efficient placement of the horizontal wells. After water 

treatability studies were performed, it was determined that an on-site water 

treatment facility would be the most cost-effective way to treat the approximately 

400,000 gallons of groundwater that was to be drawn from the site. 

Matthew B. Monsees, On-Scene Coordinator, US EPA Region IV: We had 2, 

20,000-gallon holding tanks at the front end of the treatment system where the 

groundwater will be pumped into. They'll serve as a surge and equalization tanks. 

Narrator: The water will be pumped from the holding tanks to an air stripper to 

remove volatile organic compounds. It will then pass through a series of 

treatment chambers in which the hexavalent chrome is reduced to trivalent 

chrome, which is then precipitated out. The water then proceeds through a 
clarifier and a series of filters and carbon polishers before being pumped into a 

20,000-gallon holding. Random samples are drawn and analyzed by the field lab. 

When the water passes POTW treatment standards it will be batch discharged. 

Greg Powell, Environmental Scientist, US EPA / Environmental Response 

Team: Within the ERT phase of the contractor's support we have a site geologist 

on-site to monitor monitoring wells as we dewater to make sure that we're 

reaching the capture zone that we want for the dewatering operation. We also 

have on-site engineering support for the water treatment to provide 

troubleshooting. They also are providing on-site analytical support for metals and 

volatile organics. 

Narrator: Water samples are taken periodically throughout various stages of the 

treatment process to determine efficiency levels through the system. Each 

sample is tested by the lab chemist so that the necessary adjustments can be 

made to the system. Because the lab is on-site samples can be evaluated quickly 

without interrupting the treatment process. Once it is determined that the water 

meets the local utility's pretreatment standard, it will be discharged to the local 

POTW. 

Sediment, soil, and surface water samples were collected from several down 

gradient locations around the site perimeter. Water samples were also taken 

from Pierce Creek and a retention pond on the northeast corner of an RV park 

adjacent to the site. No significant off-site contamination was found that could be 

traced back to the site. 
Matthew B. Monsees, On-Scene Coordinator, US EPA Region IV: The soil 

will be removed for off-site disposal. We have approximately 3,000 yd3

 of soil that 

is non-hazardous that will be going to an industrial landfill or a landfill here in the 

state. We have also anywhere from 3 to 350 yd3 of soil that's contaminated 

above the regulatory thresholds to make it a hazardous waste and that will be 

going for off-site disposal for stabilization and then landfill in accordance with the 

land restrictions. 

Narrator: The Manasota Plating project was completed in only 3 years as a 

result of teamwork and cooperation among individual from a broad range of 

organizations and disciplines. The effective solutions such as on-site lab and 

water treatment facilities help to expedite the process of dealing with unique 

challenges. The results are a project that was finished in a timely and costefficient manner.