Emeryville Industrial Redevelopment Property

Citadel EHS provided expedited regulatory support at a former industrial warehouse property in Emeryville, under oversight from the Alameda County Department of Environmental Health (ACDEH) – one of the most stringent regulatory agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Subsurface investigations identified volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including benzene, TPHg, and vinyl chloride, in sub-slab vapor and shallow groundwater, with some vapor-phase concentrations exceeding commercial screening levels. A prior consultant had projected site remediation costs to exceed $1 million.

Citadel conducted a targeted vapor intrusion risk evaluation, integrating updated sub-slab sampling data and a refined site-specific conceptual site model (VISCM). Through direct negotiations with ACDEH, Citadel successfully demonstrated that further remediation was not warranted and the Site’s environmental approach should instead move towards incorporating vapor intrusion mitigation features into the building’s renovation plans. As a result, the total project’s cost for remediation efforts was under $50,000 - representing substantial savings while satisfying regulatory expectations.

Citadel supported the project through the design of a comprehensive VIMS, which incorporated:

• Repair and sealing of the existing building floor slab to make it vapor-tight
• Coordination with the Site’s HVAC designer and installer to ensure the building’s ventilation system could provide adequate air exchanges, providing a secondary means of protecting the building’s indoor air quality.
• Site-specific attenuation factors, consistent with Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and USEPA guidance, were recalculated for indoor air risk levels, demonstrating protective attenuation and a lack of complete vapor intrusion pathways under the new building conditions.

Highlights:

• Regulatory oversight by Alameda County Department of Environmental Health (ACDEH)
• Avoided more than $1 million in projected remediation costs
• Demonstrated no complete vapor intrusion pathway
• Implemented site-specific VIMS design
• Achieved regulatory acceptance through risk-based evaluation
• Protected indoor air quality while supporting property redevelopment