A common reason potential clients reach out to environmental consultants is because they are assessing the positives and negatives of buying or selling a contaminated property. A major concern to property owners is the ability to eventually sell their land, which is a process that is highly complicated by the presence of subsurface contamination. The current property owner would likely not be able to sell the property due to the potential health and environmental risks or may be held responsible for the remediation of the property after the ownership transition. As a result, property owners looking to sell their contaminated land want fast and effective solutions to ensure that the property is fully remediated as transaction opportunities arise.

The source of subsurface contamination often resides beneath existing facilities on the property where it is not feasible for vertical remediation wells to gain appropriate access. The installation and utilization of horizontal remediation wells (HRWs) offer direct access to the plume’s source and ensure a rapid remediation process, which combines to raise property value and eliminate the fear of contamination responsibility.

HRWs overcome difficulties in selling contaminated properties

Horizontal remediation wells are frequently utilized to overcome the difficulties of selling contaminated properties. The use of vertical wells falls short with each additional physical obstacle that the property contains. This includes existing facilities at the surface and buried utilities in the subsurface. Horizontal remediation wells provide solutions to overcome the difficulties that vertical wells face. One horizontal remediation well can provide significantly more screen access to the contamination plume, effectively replacing multiple vertical wells in the remediation of contaminated land. More importantly, the source of the contamination plume can be accessed and remediated directly, which prevents additional contamination from evolving in the future. By providing access to the source of the contamination and an increased radius of influence to the plume as a whole, horizontal remediation wells provide a significantly more rapid contaminant cleanup to ensure the property is prepared to sell.

Case Study: HRWs assist in multi-billion dollar acquisition

Directional Technologies, Inc. (DTI) was directly involved in the remediation of a major United States company property, which assisted in the company’s record-breaking multi-billion-dollar acquisition from an international buyer. Subsurface soil and groundwater contamination existed beneath an existing concrete basin slab bound by railroad tracks to the north and south. Since traditional vertical methods could not provide the necessary access to source area contaminants, DTI worked closely with the environmental consultant and client to develop a horizontal air sparge well network that would effectively reduce contamination within the target zones. DTI worked with the client to save additional costs by utilizing a specially calibrated walk-over location system to track the drill bit through the solid concrete during installation. As a result, six horizontal air sparge wells were installed at the site, ultimately assisting with the enhanced remediation of contamination that otherwise could not have been accessed through vertical technologies. Due to the proven success of the horizontal remedial system, the company was purchased in a multi-billion dollar acquisition not even two years after the installation and operation of the horizontal wells.

 

Results:

Directional Technologies successfully installed the six horizontal AS wells despite the physical challenges at the site. Through collaboration with the environmental consultant, DTI was able to help the client meet their remedial needs, which led to the enhanced remediation of limited-access contamination. Simultaneously, the horizontal remediation wells’ results ultimately assisted in an acquisition worth billions of dollars.

 

How can the advantages offered by decades of technological advancement in the field of horizontal wells benefit your project?  Call our horizontal remediation well experts at 1-877-788-4479 to discuss your current project needs or

 

Written By: Elliott Andelman, Professional Geologist