The business operations of the Environmental Division are primarily comprised
of services related to identifying any recognized environmental condition (“REC”)
or the lack thereof as provided by the federal, state or local governmental
agencies in any real property of any owner, potential owner or lender, governmental
agency or other person that may have a concern or may have or be seeking an
interest in the subject property. Once our services are engaged, we contract
with a drilling company to drill into the ground locations selected by us to
collect a physical soil sample; if the project is small and can be handled by
our smaller drilling equipment, this service is not contracted out.
Once the soil sample is obtained, it is submitted to a State of California
certified laboratory for analysis of the existence of hazardous materials. Based
upon the laboratory’s analysis, William C. Lachmar, our President, who
is a Licensed Professional Geologist in Texas and California, prepares a written
report that is sanctioned by the particular laboratory that conducted the analysis.
Mr. Lachmar’s licensing as a “Professional Geologist” is a
requirement to prepare any such report. If an REC is identified to exist, then
we will provide project management and engineering conclusions and recommendations
necessary to remediate the property and bring it back into regulatory compliance
based upon the California tables of acceptable levels of product contamination.
Acceptable levels are further qualified based upon residential, commercial and
industrial zoned properties, with the residential levels being the most stringent.
Examples of contaminations that result in concern include those that are inadvertently
or otherwise inoculated into the shallow subsurface soils or groundwater, like
gasoline, diesel fuel, dry cleaning fluid, rocket fuel, arsenic, mercury, lead
and other toxic substances. These services are basically the same in each project:
examine the property; drill or have it drilled for soil samples; submit the
soil samples to a State of California certified laboratory; prepare a report
on the soil samples; and if an REC is found to exist, provide the described
services, directly or through subcontractors, by or under the supervision of
Mr. Lachmar.
These Divisions’ services generally include:
Construction and Emergency Response;
Demolition, Remediation and Restoration;
Subsurface Investigation;
Water and Wastewater Treatment;
Engineering and Environmental Consulting;
Environmental Permitting and Compliance; and
Litigation Support.
The second quarter of our fiscal year (July 1 to September 30) is typically
our strongest quarter. The U.S. federal government has historically authorized
more work during the period preceding the end of its fiscal year, September
30. In addition, many U.S. state governments with fiscal years ending on June
30 have historically accelerated spending during the fiscal first quarter when
new funding budgets become available. There is no assurance that this trend
will continue.