Students from CalGeo’s Cal Poly Pomona student chapter were invited to attend a technical presentation and construction jobsite walk at the new Student Recreation Center site. Rod Mikesell (Geocon San Diego) and Neal Berliner (Geocon Burbank) educated students about the geotechnical challenges associated with the deep foundation system being installed for support of the structure. Students watched the installation of CIDH piles, were able to peer into the boring excavation, and were taught about groundwater, casing, concrete placement, and gamma-gamma testing for pile integrity. Ronald Pacheco (Geocon Burbank), Special Inspector and lead inspector on this project, educated students about the required inspection and testing requirements during construction. 24 students and 1 professor were able to join us for an educational day on the site!
Geocon recently completed rapid removal of over 4,500 tons of PCB-impacted soil from a vacant Imperial Irrigation District (IID) substation property located adjacent to an elementary school play field in Brawley, California. The cleanup was performed under voluntary agreement with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control with technical oversight provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The project was fast-tracked to facilitate cleanup of the property prior to transfer and use by the School District as additional play fields. The presence of PCBs in soil was identified during an environmental assessment completed by Geocon. PCBs in soil is likely attributable to incidental leakage of transformer cooling liquids. In addition to performing the site cleanup and restoration operations, Geocon assisted IID with community relations, health and safety monitoring, and regulatory oversight coordination during the fast-tracked cleanup.