Chad Northington, P.E.

Remedial Insanity - Is There a Cure?

Chad Northington, P.E., Senior Remediation Engineer, Geosyntec

Background/Objectives:

Understanding technology transitions is key to achieving remedial objectives and closure at sites; however, many projects remain in a state of remedial limbo after the initial technology application has reached its useful life. It is not uncommon for practitioners to continue pursuing the same remedial strategy and failing to evolve the site remedy, a “condition” coined as “remedial insanity” by the presenter.    

Approach/Activities:

In situ remediation strategies and reagent selection will be explored to evaluate the most efficient remedial pathway to successful treatment in the subsurface.  Best practices will be discussed, including technology transition, factors in developing the conceptual site model, and key parameters in remedial design, to mitigate technical hurdles that can impact overall project success during design and implementation of in situ remediation projects.  An emphasis will also be placed on verification of design assumptions and application strategies.   

Results/Lessons Learned:

Successful implementation of these strategies will be explored in the context of performance based cleanup (PBC) projects where remedial goals were achieved expeditiously through strategic and surgical application of remedial best practices.  

Mr. Northington has over twenty-six years of experience as an environmental engineer in the areas of site investigation/assessment, remediation system engineering, construction, and maintenance, project management, in situ remediation design and application, implementation of innovative technologies, and technical sales and support.  Mr. Northington also founded and directs a Florida non-profit specializing in community development and outreach focused primarily on water supply, treatment, and distribution in Africa.