Acknowledgement to Great American While performing soil removal activities at a Brownfield project the contractor accidentally broke an abandoned underground petroleum pipeline with their excavator. Product was released causing extensive contamination. The contractor was held responsible for the cost to remove the pooled petroleum, the contaminated soil and to confirm that groundwater had not been […]

Acknowledgement to Great American While installing new electrical lines in a historic building the contractor used a hole saw to cut through a ceiling. Unknown to the contractor, the saw had inadvertently disturbed and released asbestos-containing insulation material. The contractor had to pay for clean‐up costs for the asbestos fibers released throughout the building.

Acknowledgement to Great American A drywall contractor was hanging new drywall at a construction project when an employee accidentally drilled through a small water pipe which was located behind the wall. The drywall contractor did not realize the water leak was occurring and a substantial amount of mold grew between the walls before anyone noticed. […]

Acknowledgement to Great American A subsurface drilling contractor caused a release of raw sewage into both soil and groundwater after failing to identify a sewer line before drilling. The clean-up entailed the excavation of several tons of impacted soil and caused a number of nearby businesses to be shut down for a few days when […]

Acknowledgement to Great American During the demolition of a portion of a museum a contractor inadvertently disturbed unknown asbestos that had been contained in the floor tiles. The asbestos contaminated other areas of the museum, forcing closure during the remediation. The demolition contractor was held responsible for the clean-up costs and business interruption.

Acknowledgement to Great American A process tank at a wastewater treatment plant malfunctioned, discharging a large volume of untreated wastewater into a nearby stream. This discharge caused a fish kill as well as damage to many aquatic plants. The local regulatory authority issued fines to the operator of the wastewater treatment plant for the unauthorized […]

Acknowledgement to Great American A fire occurred in the middle of the night at a warehouse facility. Responders to the fire discovered heavy smoke settling over a nearby residential community. It was determined that various hazardous materials were stored in the warehouse and that vapors from the fire could present a health hazard. Residents were […]

Acknowledgement to Great American A dry cleaner tenant located in an upscale shopping center was found to have been illegally operating by failing to maintain adequate containment of spent perchloroethylene (PCE) solvent canisters. The canisters were stored in an exterior trash container and over time the PCE leaked onto the cracked macadam surface and eventually migrated off-site. […]

Acknowledgement to Great American A self storage facility repossessed a locker from a renter who had missed several payments. Upon gaining control of the rental space they found 12 drums of hazardous material. The renter could not be found, so the owner of the storage facility was required to pay for the cost of disposal […]

Acknowledgement to Great American A school district demolished a middle school built in the 1940’s in order to build a new school. During excavation activities, an unknown underground storage tank was discovered. Findings from an environmental study noted soil contamination. Localized groundwater contamination was found on the school property and at two adjacent residential locations […]

Acknowledgement to Great American A fire at a plastic recycling center broke out after hours causing the release of a large plume of toxic, black smoke into the air. This release caused a health advisory to be issued to residents, eventually leading to the evacuation of several homeowners. Residents of a neighboring community sued for […]

Acknowledgement to Great American A housing stock transfer was undertaken between a Local Authority and a private management company involving approximately 7,000 residential units. A problem emerged when unusually high levels of lead, arsenic and zinc were discovered on surrounding properties. When tests were conducted, it became apparent that the residential units had been built […]