Future of hazardous site consulting: How young professionals are integrating into the sector

For Kristina Hill, Project Geologist, and Ryan Manning, Staff Scientist, two of GHD’s YPs, the conference theme of resiliency and sustainability stood out. With the future of consulting in mind, Kristina and Ryan stayed curious and embraced new learnings while thinking critically about innovative technologies and approaches to remediation to bring back to their teams.

Let's listen in to learn their perspectives.

We were exposed to hundreds of case studies and dozens of technologies, leaving with a more substantial toolbox than when we arrived. Battelle provided the experience of participating in meaningful conversations with experts from around the world, including our very own, world-renowned PFAS expert Dr. Peter Nadebaum P. Eng. We were also able to discover and learn about exciting and effective technologies we can consider in our thought processes and problem-solving for remediation. Together, we distilled our rich experience to four key takeaways surrounding YP impact on the future of remediation and where we think the industry is headed.

Developing the right remediation strategy must often challenge relied-upon approaches and must focus on understanding what is the right goal. Finding the right goal for each unique situation involves taking the time to make sure the right information is available. This requires a forward-thinking assessment of what the real end goal of a project is, what options are likely to be feasible, and what needs to be known to determine the preferred option. At the conference, our colleague, Matt Rousseau, presented a case study on Natural Source Zone Depletion (NSZD) illustrates that to achieve a sustainable end goal, an efficient and effective strategy is to minimize the use of resources and therefore reduce unnecessary costs to achieve an acceptable outcome. We’re seeing the industry evolve from a “remove every hazardous molecule” mentality to a more practical approach focusing on achieving closure through more sustainable, risk-based approaches involving time and natural processes to reduce the contamination.

This approach aligns with the goals of many of our clients. And framing the remediation issue in this way helps us think at a higher level about creating win-win scenarios for both GHD and our clients in their daily projects, protecting human and environmental health while understanding practical limits, and not wasting time or money.

Resilient remediation was a key concept at the conference. Identifying what might go wrong in the future and taking steps to avoid this is critical in designing the remediation strategy. Issues such as climate change, calamitous natural events such as flooding, fire and earthquakes need to be considered; and, possible failure of the remediation method, or a containment solution by way of example, if this were to be adopted. Also, the potential for new contaminants to be identified and pose a risk was very much in mind at the conference, such as has occurred with the very large numbers of PFAS being identified and now need to be understood.

Getting ahead of the curve can save resources and costs that might otherwise be much greater in the future. What became apparent to our YPs is that our understanding of the risks that can arise from land and groundwater contamination is constantly evolving, and it can be of benefit to our clients to think ahead, design our site assessments and plan our remediation strategies accordingly. A resilient strategy leads to better understanding, and positions for best outcomes in the long term.

The conference provided many opportunities for engaging in lessons learned conversations as well as novel remediation strategies. Some case studies featured technologies that can be explored on similar sites currently being worked on and raised ideas about future work and how we can best approach challenges our clients face. By way of example, one technology involved a mix of electrochemical remediation and bioremediation to effectively reduce a petroleum hydrocarbon plume at an active gasoline station. This case study resembles sites where we have experience with one of our primary retail gasoline clients, encouraging the addition of this remediation strategy to their toolbox. Another technology that caught our attention is phytoremediation - the mitigation of groundwater plumes by strategic planting of trees to safely remove contaminants via absorption. This cost-effective, eco-friendly remediation technology was of great interest. While the technology is limited to specific site situations, depending on, for example, groundwater depth compared to tree root depth or availability of open land or planters in locations appropriate relative to groundwater flow direction—the technology has the potential to offer a low carbon footprint remedial solution with long term efficacy, site beatification and environmental return on investment.

As a global company, GHD leverages international, expert collaboration to create high-value solutions for our clients. We’re seeing the benefits through our global team of experts, like Dr. Nadebaum. Dr. Nadebaum is an exemplary example of decades of industry leadership and expertise applied to international projects and staff mentorship. During the conference, Dr. Nadebaum coached us to carefully evaluate the goal of each project we engage in; to communicate effectively with regulators and be aware of the most recent regulatory updates so that we can set tasks that work toward the correct goals. For example, Dr. Nadebaum has seen the environmental industry progress from a “remove all contamination, period” approach to a more risk-based approach that considers the cost to the environment and local infrastructure as well as the potential benefit of remediation in seeking a solution to chlorinated solvent contamination. Dylan Galt, GHD’s acting Defense Environment Manager in Australia is another example of expertise applied to international projects. During the Battelle Conference, Mr. Galt invited us along while he investigated developing PFAS destruction technologies in North America, and their potential for application in Australia. Experts like Peter and Dylan help us incorporate new technologies and approaches and help us evaluate whether the new approach can be effective in what we want to do. This expands the efforts we can provide to our client’s unique cases.

When one becomes skilled or effective at a task, it is in our nature to apply approaches we are familiar with. Senior professionals with expert knowledge and experience in remediation may often constrain their approach in this way, and this may not result in the most sustainable, cost-effective and resilient solution.

Remediation strategies are unique to each site. And, as YPs, we offer a diverse perspective. Oftentimes, because we are early career, it is in all our best interest when we question certain solutions to better understand if a solution remains the most effective and sustainable. A fresh perspective is imperative in an ever-changing industry.

Conference attendance benefits everyone: Our clients may experience diversified remedies and ideas learned from professionals exploring innovative solutions. YPs have a playground for learning and networking. And it can encourage evolving and innovative practices, stimulating seasoned professionals.

In addition, we can potentially draw more easily on skills learned recently in college or university that senior professionals may no longer be familiar with. And YPs cost less than senior professionals – allowing for more time to be spent than can be afforded for senior professionals.

Perhaps the greatest benefits of encouraging YP attendance at conferences are the insights and best practices shared with peers. Kristina and Ryan have taken their experience and shared what they have learned and want to incorporate into their future projects with their YP colleagues – expanding the knowledge to those unable to attend.

YPs are the future of this exciting, constantly evolving industry, and our established professionals are leaders who have significant influence over this future. While YPs are relatively new graduates, they can be a part of larger conversations with senior professionals like Peter and Dylan, bringing value and sharing perspectives. At conferences like Battelle, YPs are exposed to a variety of professionals with different expertise and years of experience who can provide unique and new information that will bring value to the future work of YPs and the remediation industry.