Large-scale contaminated sediment cleanups, such as those currently seen in many rivers, harbors, and urban waterways, are extremely expensive. It is reasonable to expect that the parties involved will seek to reduce their anticipated share of the costs. The process of allocation often involves development of technical arguments about the what, where, when and who of legacy sediment contamination. The presentation of these arguments, in the context of allocation or litigation settings, requires a skilled and confident expert. TIG Environmental has senior scientists and engineers who have served in an expert consultant capacity on some of the largest sediment cleanup projects in the U.S. and around the world. We are credible and highly effective participants in dispute resolution settings of all types. We provide overall technical strategy to expert testimony and everything in between.

Most contaminated sediment sites are well into the cycle of exploration and testing. Often there are stacks of reports presenting analytical chemistry data and model results but no overall interpretation of meaning. TIG Environmental can use the available information to synthesize overall meaning out of the data chaos. Our skills range from reconstructing industrial histories to pinpointing sources and pathways of contamination to the sediments. We will develop a meaningful conceptual model of your site that will allow you to identify and fill data gaps as well as strategize for allocation, cleanup, or both.

Sources of sediment contamination are difficult to untangle. TIG Environmental uses a variety of sophisticated statistical, chemometric, isotopic, and computer modeling tools to establish otherwise hidden source characteristics and provide answers to questions such as: 

• Where did this contamination come from? 

• When was it deposited? 

• What can we do to clean it up? 

• How much will it cost? 

Informed decision making begins with a good foundation of understanding of the nature of the problem.

The best information is nothing if it cannot be understood. TIG Environmental understands that developing reports relying solely on written explanations would limit our ability to communicate our expert opinions. Instead, we make an impact through unique data visualization tools, infographics, and presentations. 

• We can host platforms for an individual site or an entire river or harbor. 

• We tailor our work products to the audience, be it a highly technical convening of experts or a public workshop on the site. 

• We manage databases with millions of entries securely and efficiently. 

• We routinely use our in-house technical editors to ensure our written work is concise and well understood.

The transition from investigation and cost allocation to remedial design and construction is where experienced scientists or engineers can have a substantial effect on the cost, constructability, and long-term success of the chosen remedy. TIG Environmental has experience in the application of the available technologies in multiple settings. We can assist in all phases from strategy development to conceptual design, contractor prequalification, and construction observation. Using our team’s knowledge base and expertise in strategy development, we can demystify the concepts of adaptive management, beneficial reuse, sustainability, and circular economy. Through clear communication, we can assist with community outreach and engagement programs. TIG can create community-accessible dashboards to provide more near- to real-time access to remedial action monitoring data.