CASE STUDIES

Environmental Services - Beale AFB

Project Name and Location: Environmental Support Services at Beale Air Force Base
Project Owner: USACE Tulsa District
Project Completion: Ongoing
Contract Value: $912,658
Contract Number: W912BV-08-D-2037: Task Order #0004, USACE Tulsa Environmental Services IDIQ
Description of Work:
Ayuda is currently providing support at Beale AFB for a variety of environmental services tasks including:

• A special species study
  • Survey and documentation of special species at the base over 12 months
• Natural Resources and Conservation Law Officer Support
  • Provide daily hunting and fishing compliance support and training
• Training, Environmental Auditing, and Natural Resources Support
  • Develop training modules
  • Build educational displays
  • Develop a habitat management plan for Reeds Creek
  • Complete vernal pool repair
  • Complete a soil aquitard study
  • Complete mapping
  • Build bat houses
  • Complete an oak restoration plan
  • Complete an invasive species  management plan
• Cultural Resources Survey and Evaluation, Monitoring, and Historic Document Inventory/Preparation
• Environmental Compliance Inspections
  • Complete monthly inspections of facilities at the base for 12 months
• Waste Water Projects
  • Develop a nitrogen management plan
  • Develop a sanitary sewer management plan
  • Develop a wastewater treatment plant operations manual
• Environmental Impact Analysis Program Support
  • Hourly support for impact analysis development
• A Street Pond Cleanup
  • Remove excess plants from the pond and repair aeration system
• Continuous Chlorine Monitoring
  • Provide a system and training for chlorine monitoring and data logging in potable water lines
• Monitoring Well Installation and quarterly monitoring

Environmental Remediation - Camp Bullis

Project Name and Location: Open Burn/Open Detonation Berm Removal and Replacement and Landfill Erosion Repair, Camp Bullis
Project Owner: USACE Tulsa District
Project Completion: January 2011
Contract Value: $562,827
Contract Number: W912BV-08-D-2038: Task Order #0006, USACE Tulsa Remediation IDIQ
Description of Work:
The objective of this project was to develop an Interim Measures Workplan and implement the following scope items:

• Removal, disposal and confirmation sampling of the RCRA permitted, OB/OD Unit soil berm;
• Installation of new storm-water diversion structure;
• Erosion repairs and erosion control measure implementation at Landfill 12; and
• Debris removal at Landfill 10.

OB/OD Berm Removal and Replacement

Ayuda removed and disposed of a 300-foot soil berm which served as storm-water diversion around the OB/OD Unit, as well as 6 inches of soil from the face of the slope below the berm.  Because there was an active firing range in the area, all work was performed at night. Excavated soils were placed in a staging area, protected from run-off, segregated, stockpiled and sampled. The soil was then disposed of at a pre-approved, licensed, waste disposal facility.
To determine whether all impacted soil had been removed, confirmation sampling was performed. The area was then graded to provide a stable surface for the installation of the new diversion. The storm-water diversion was created using concrete barriers (i.e., jersey barriers. The concrete barriers were placed so that storm-water runoff would not penetrate or cause ponding around the barrier.

Erosion Control Measure Implementation at Landfill 12

Ayuda repaired eroded areas of Landfill 12 (approximately 40-feet by 200-feet).   Metal and other miscellaneous debris were removed from the site and disposed of during erosion repair. Erosion repairs were constructed with contaminant-free fill material procured off site. Fill material was placed, compacted and keyed into the existing topography to protect against future erosion. To create a natural drainage pathway, channel storm-water runoff and prevent erosion, Ayuda placed 6-inch rip-rap in the center of the channel. Following erosion repair, permanent erosion control matting was installed in the newly repaired areas and on the slopes of the channel adjacent to the rip-rap.

Debris Removal at Landfill 10

As part of the debris removal at Landfill 12, Ayuda also removed approximately one ton of metal and miscellaneous debris at the neighboring Landfill 10.

Environmental Remediation - Corpus Christi Army Depot

Project Name and Location: Removal and Closure of Underground Storage Tank, Corpus Christi Army Depot
Project Owner: USACE Tulsa District
Project Completion: January 2009
Contract Value: $223,961
Contract Number: W912BV-08-D-2038: Task Order #0003, USACE Tulsa Remediation IDIQ
Description of Work:

• Project management and coordination with United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), CCAD (Corpus Christi Army Depot) and Naval Air Station (NAS) for the removal and closure of underground storage tank.
• Prepare the project work plan, health and safety plan and permits for submittal to the appropriate authorities.
• Contract with the excavation and tank removal contractor as well as the required Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Corrective Action Project Manager to oversee the tank removal and collect verification samples.
• Provide daily logs and weekly project updates to the USACE as well as the final closure reporting documents.

Ayuda provided oversight of a subcontractor for the removal of surface completions including valves, electrical boxes and meters. One steel 12,000 gallon tank was uncovered along with four foot risers beneath two manholes and one vault. Onsite personnel including CCAD, NAS, USACE and Ayuda representatives determined that the UST was an oil/water separator. Additional subsurface lines were also removed and capped under the supervision of Ayuda and USACE personnel.

Ayuda supervised final removal and loading of the tank for transport to a recycling facility. Both the excavation itself and all excavated material were visually inspected and regularly field screened with PID. Based on field screening results, no measureable VOC concentrations were present in the soil samples collected from beneath the oil/water separator or soil stockpile. All samples were transported to a TCEQ accredited laboratory under strict chain of custody control. Soil samples were analyzed per TCEQ requirements. Ayuda coordinated with CCAD for completion of all appropriate labeling and disposal of waste. Laboratory analysis confirmed that no contamination was present in the excavation.

Environmental Remediation - Fort Hood

Project Name and Location:  Compost Facility Upgrade, Fort Hood
Project Owner: USACE Tulsa District
Project Completion: August 2010
Contract Value: $383,991
Contract Number: W912BV-08-D-2038: Task Order #0005, USACE Tulsa Remediation IDIQ
Description of Work:

• Divert waste materials from landfills.
• Produce high quality material that can be used for soil restoration at the installation. 

During the Workplan development, Ayuda evaluated data and how operations had been conducted to date, including information about site characteristics (soils, topography, drainage, etc.), waste streams, and current processes. Throughout the project, we coordinated and exchanged information with the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) which was preparing a post-wide soil management plan to ensure that both of the projects were in agreement. The Workplan also provided a composting process diagram that described the flow and sequence of waste processing and compost production, including degradation of petroleum-contaminated materials at the bio site.  This diagram showed what facility structures and equipment amendments were necessary, and where and how composting processes would be conducted, including anticipated compost production capacity.  

Prior to implementation of the bio site facility upgrades, Ayuda and Fort Hood personnel met with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality personnel to discuss the proposed upgrades.  Because existing regulations did not support the beneficial reuse of composted POL-impacted soil, we were asked to develop a modified compost registration including information on procedures, clean-up levels, etc.

Bio-Site Pad:   Improvements to the bio-site pad where petroleum-contaminated soils and other materials are bio-remediated included:

• Construction of a sprinkler irrigation system that delivers nutrients to the compost piles. 
• Process modification that eliminates seeding composting wastes with microbial organisms.
•  Procedural changes including the addition of co-compost materials such as plant and animal manures to enhance microbial activity. 
• A shredder/shaker system which is used during the compost process to separate finer composted materials from more coarse composted materials, producing varying grades of compost and mulch for differing uses. 

Drying Pad:  Improvements to the drying pad where petroleum/oil-containing water saturated soil/sludge is poured for separation of oils included:

• Installation of concreted barriers to increase the path length of water travel to maximize sediment removal prior to entry into the interceptor unit. 
• Installation of a skimmer system in the interceptor unit to remove oil prior to discharge.
• Extension of a water line and electrical power.

Ayuda also installed water and electric meters at the site which required extensive coordination with Fort Hood Public Works personnel.

Design/Build - Buckley AFB

Project Name and Location: Design-Build Mississippi Gate Additional Lane Project, Buckley Air Force Base
Project Owner: USACE Omaha District
Project Completion: December 2010
Contract Value: $4,513,382
Contract Number: W9128F-09-C-0039
Description of Work:

• Design and construct a one story CMU/Structural Steel guard house with new asphalt roads, truck turnarounds, active denial barriers, a structural steel canopy and (2) pre-manufactured guard booths to meet AT/FP requirements for the entrance.
• Installation of underground utilities on the building site which included the excavation of trenches for gas, water, sewer, power and communications.

Ayuda ASR Joint Venture with Ayuda Management Corporation as managing partner was contracted through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to design and construct a single story structure with caisson/grade beam foundations, reinforced concrete slab-on-grade, steel columns and load-bearing CMU walls supporting structural steel framed roof with pre-finished standing seam metal.

The heavy-use gate remained open for the entire duration of the project. This situation required regular and significant coordination between Ayuda ASR JV, USACE, base and security forces personnel. Ayuda ASR JV maintained access control for the Mississippi Gate (the primary commercial vehicle entrance gate for the base) throughout the project.

The project was designed and built to meet USGBC-LEED® Silver requirements.

Environmental Remediation - Pine Bluff Arsenal

Project Name and Location: Remedial Action Implementation, Site 7A, Pine Bluff Arsenal
Project Owner: USACE Tulsa District                                                                                                       
Project Completion: June 2010
Contract Value: $1,207,070
Contract Number: W912BV-08-D-2038: Task Order #0004, USACE Tulsa Remediation IDIQ
Description of Work:

• Conduct remedial activities at Site 7A at the Pine Bluff Arsenal (PBA) in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. 
• Coordinate all remedial field activities with PBA's active chemical-demilitarization operations that were located adjacent to the Ayuda project site location.

The primary objective of the remedial action was to remove and dispose of contaminated soils and sump contents from the Building 55-320 area of Site 7A and attain cleanup levels as outlined in the Remedial Investigation Report for Site 7A.  Ayuda excavated metals-impacted soil and stockpiled the soils during laboratory characterization. Our team then coordinated and supervised transport and disposal at two separate locations.  Following the field screening of soils with X-ray fluorescence (XRF) unit, laboratory confirmation samples were collected within each excavation from each grid.  If confirmation sample results from a grid indicated that cleanup levels had not yet been achieved, additional soil was removed from that grid.

Final confirmation sample results for each grid indicated that metals were not detected above the cleanup levels.   Based on waste characterization sampling, all excavated soil was deemed non-hazardous.  In total, Ayuda removed approximately 3,500 cubic yards (CY) of contaminated soil; approximately 2,200 cubic yards were disposed of offsite. The remaining 1,300 CY were utilized at the PBA Hazardous Waste Landfill as temporary cover. Ayuda's coordination efforts with PBA Hazardous Waste Landfill saved valuable project funds. The funds were used for the unexpected stabilization of a portion of the site excavation.

Additional objectives of this remedial action, which were performed as part of this project, included the removal and disposal of the concrete foundation slab and sumps from Building 55-320.  One drum of hazardous sludge from the southern exterior sump was removed and disposed of at an offsite hazardous waste landfill. Based on the collection of soil data from six additional soil borings (to fill data gaps for the soil beneath the Building 55-320 foundation), metals were not detected above the cleanup levels beneath the slab.

Environmental Remediation - Turtle Bayou Superfund Site

Project Name and Location: Remedial Design/Remedial Action, Turtle Bayou Petro-chemical Superfund Site, Liberty County, EPA Region 6
Project Owner: USACE Tulsa District
Project Completion: December 2010
Contract Value: $3,373,854
Contract Number: W912BV-10-C-1000
Description of Work:

• Address an area of benzene and napthalene contaminated soil at the Monitoring Well 109 (MW109).
•  Upgrade of County Road 126 (CR126).
• Implementation of channel improvements to Turtle Bayou, if needed.
•  The most important of the government's requirements for this site was to achieve construction completion (CC) of the RA at the MW109 Area by September 30, 2010.   CC was achieved by Ayuda on September 28, 2010.

Depth-specific residential and industrial soil remediation goals were established by EPA for benzene and naphthalene contamination present. Ayuda completed the RD for EPA's selected remedy, in-situ chemical oxidation.  Due to the higher than anticipated plasticity of the contaminated native clay soils, the in-situ remedial approach did not work as effectively as needed to meet the cleanup criteria on schedule and in budget. Ayuda preemptively proposed an alternative remedial approach that fit within EPA's Records of Decision (ROD) allowable remedies. Ayuda proposed excavation and bioremediation as the new remedy.  Ayuda secured a lease with the impacted landowner to use a portion of his property for the bioremediation area. Despite significant weather delays and constraints, biotreatment of the benzene and naphthalene impacted soils was successfully completed in under three weeks. Treated soils were then placed back into the excavation and the site was fully restored.

The objective of the CR126 upgrade was to meet Liberty County road standards with design and construction and secure county acceptance of the upgraded road. The upgrade serves as an enhanced cap over impacted subsurface soils beneath the road and right-of-way. A pre-construction survey indicated that large portions of the roadway lay within the floodplain. The design required: re-contouring of 4 miles of roadway drainage ditches; no elevation increase; and, adherence to EPA's requirement to leave all existing materials on-site. Construction of the roadway was accomplished via shoulder widening, pavement recycling with lime stabilization and installation of 2-inches of new asphalt.

The objective of channel improvements of Turtle Bayou at the TBB outfall locations was to achieve a self-scouring channel within 25 feet immediately upstream and downstream.  The channel improvement study was based on a hydraulic assessment and intended to design for optimum long- term flow at TBB. Following the hydraulic analysis, removal of channel sediments was deemed unnecessary.  

Design/Build - Beale AFB

Project Name and Location: Vassar Lake Gate Entrance Improvements, Beale Air Force Base
Project Owner: Beale Air Force Base
Project Completion: September 2010
Contract Value: $643,603
Contract Number: FA4686-09-C-0064
Description of Work:

Ayuda completed work on the design-build of the Vassar entrance gate at Beale Air Force Base.  The design incorporated traffic flow modifications, security forces safety, human factors engineering, DoD Antiterrorism Standard security requirements, curbing modifications, and roadway widening.

Design/Build - Buckley AFB

Project Name and Location: Design-Build Vehicle Inspection Facility, Buckley Air Force Base
Project Owner: USACE Omaha District
Project Completion: August 2008
Contract Value: $821,411
Contract Number: W9128F-07-C-0027
Description of Work:

Ayuda was the prime contractor for the USACE Omaha District for the Design/Build of Security Forces Vehicle Inspection Facility at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado. The facility is used to screen commercial vehicles entering the base.  This 4,000 square foot secure building includes an integrated license-recognition system, and undercarriage explosive detection system. Ayuda completed this project on-time, on-budget, and with no safety incidents, and received an excellent CCAS report with an above-average overall rating.

The following activities were performed in support of this project:

• Geotechnical investigation of the site
• All design as required by the project
• Clearing and grubbing
• Over-excavation of building footprint
• Utility Installation (sewer, electric, water, gas and communication)
• Demolition of curbing and asphalt
• Light pole removal and relocation
• Erection of pre-engineered steel bldg.
• Installation of 4 large roll-up doors
• Retaining wall construction
• Fire hydrant installation
• Class A fire alarm system installation
• Electrical, including installation of high voltage transformer
• Installation of license plate recognition system and undercarriage explosive detection system
• Standing seam roof installation
• Installation of overhead cameras
• Floating floor foundation construction
• 20 foot drilled piers
• Mechanical room construction
• Mechanical, including automatic exhaust fans and louvers
• Radiant heat installation
• Lightning protection installation
• Construction of new concrete curb and gutter
• Construction of asphalt entrance and exit

Construction Defect Repair - Vista Ridge

Project Name and Location: Vista Ridge Subdivision Repair
Project Owner: Zurich North America
Project Completion: Ongoing
Contract Value: Approx. $35,000,000
Contract Number: VR Filing 1B-a/1B-b
Description of Work:
Ayuda is currently supporting Zurich Insurance in construction management and owner’s representation for the defect repair of 80 homes in Vista Ridge, Colorado due to swelling soil movement.

Repairs being completed in each of the homes include:

• complete underpinning and caisson replacement with micropile technology;
• conversion of slab on grade and slab on void foundation systems to suspended concrete structural foundation systems;
• backfill removal and replacement;
• flatwork replacement (driveway, garages, porches, walks);
• installation of structural patios and decks;
• excavation to establish clearance in the crawlspace under suspended concrete basement floors;
• installation of interior and exterior perimeter drains;
• re-void of the foundation walls;
• regrading of the lots per the civil plan;
• landscaping; and,
• interior cosmetic repair. 

Ayuda has support staff dedicated to four areas of work at Vista Ridge including:

Overall Project Management/Client Services

Senior management staff works directly with Zurich Insurance and Zurich’s council to provide schedule, budget information and updates. We attend engineering team meetings to capture scope changes, evaluate potential cost implications, discuss constructability of design, and discuss and coordinate inspection responsibilities.  Our senior staff drives the construction schedule, as well as the engineering schedule, by dictating phasing of the project and house-start dates. Homeowner communication services include: town-hall meetings with homeowners and HOA meeting support.  We report outstanding issues, design changes and cost impact, unusual defect findings, and cost savings ideas to Zurich. Ayuda selects and prescreens bidders; awards and manages contracts; ensures all trades meet insurance and warranty requirements; manages and approves payment applications, change orders, and tracks requests for information; obtain lien releases; identifies and provides badges for on-site workers; and, performs and reports bi-weekly safety inspections.

Front End Coordination – Primary Structural Repair of Home

Our dedicated construction management staff coordinates and oversees structural repair.  Responsibilities include: holding pre-construction meetings with homeowners to discuss expectations about work and set the schedule.  They also coordinate security and safety issues; arrange for the addition of deadbolt locks on the basement doors; and, coordinate installation of contractor-controlled access ways.

Construction phasing at each individual house is controlled and communicated on a weekly basis (more often if necessary) to prevent homeowner accidents in the work areas and to ensure more than one egress is available and known at all times.  The front end construction management team is responsible for tracking progress of structural repair work on multiple homes and evaluating milestone completion for the purpose of coordinating engineering inspections.

Back End Coordination – Grading and Landscaping

Construction managers are responsible for detailed mapping of each yard prior to the pre-construction meeting and structural repair.  Mapping by a landscape architect and a finished map are presented to the homeowner prior to beginning construction.  Landscape changes are negotiated with the homeowners to meet the grading and irrigation requirements outlined in the repair and civil plans.  Final maps are provided to the project management team for competitive bidding.  The “back end” construction management team coordinates grading and re-landscaping, inspections, final surveys, and obtains the final grade certificate.

Relocation/Interior Repair/Closeout Services

All belongings and furnishings in the basements of the homes are inventoried and moved to storage prior to construction.  Approximately 25% of residents relocate to available rental homes leased by Ayuda. The personnel responsible for coordination of relocation service are the same personnel responsible for completing interior cosmetic repairs, final walkthroughs, moving homeowners and their belongings back into their home, and pulling together the final homeowner submittals.  The final submittals include warranty documents from the general contractor and trades, maintenance information, and final engineering reports indicating that the repair met the design intent.