Firm Foundations: Site Characterization Basics

Whether you’re new to environmental services or are only just beginning to consider it as a career path, there’s a lot to learn in this industry and it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why we’re launching our new blog series, Firm Foundations. Each post will provide you with the resources you need to develop a basic understanding of topics like…

• Drilling
• Sampling
• Site characterization
• Remediation
• Evaluating contractors
• Career development in environmental services
• Improving industry recruitment and retention

Today’s post is about site characterization. We’ve collected our best educational content from sampling experts all over the country, and are sharing it here.

This article is divided into two sections: core learning and additional resources. The core learning section covers the essentials—everything you need to know to have a baseline understanding about characterization. The second section provides helpful information that will fill in gaps, answer common questions, and generally make it easier for you to work with and talk to your sampling contractors.

Interested in learning about high resolution site characterization (HRSC) in real time from one of our experts? Register for our webinar on demand, HRSC 101: An Introduction to High Resolution Site Characterization. 

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CORE LEARNING

The Basics of High Resolution Site Characterization

The increased use of HRSC has been one of the biggest steps forward in the last decade but, even still, many consultants are unfamiliar with the tools and best practices. In this blog post, you'll learn what HRSC is, the tools involved, and when you should considering using it on your site.

What is an MIHPT?

Selecting an HRSC tool requires that you understand the purpose of the site characterization, and the types of data required to fulfill that purpose. In this blog post, you’ll learn about the membrane interface probe – hydraulic profiling tool (MIHPT) and its component parts, the types of data it can provide, and when you’d want to consider using it.

There’s More to HRSC Than MIP: Overview and Application of HRSC Technologies

The membrane interface probe (MIP) is a popular tool for HRSC, but it’s far from your only option. This on-demand webinar explains what other tools are available, what they do, and when during your project you can benefit from using them (hint: it’s not always just at the beginning!).

How to Determine if the Geoprobe OIP is the Best Fit For Your Project

The optical image profiler (OIP) is one of the newer HRSC technologies, and was designed to delineate NAPL impacts at hydrocarbon sites. This on-demand webinar will explain how the technology works, the difference between ultraviolet and green light emitting tools, and when you should be using the OIP on your projects.

Why You Should Combine Characterization Tools

It’s not unusual to need a few different types of subsurface data about your project site, which traditionally has meant using multiple characterization tools. Today’s multi-sensor options can save time and money, because only one probe needs to be driven into the subsurface to collect multiple streams of data. In this blog post, you’ll learn about the currently available multi-sensor tools, and ways you can use them to streamline your project.

How to Know if DPT is Your Best Option

Direct push technology (DPT) is often used to drive HRSC tools into the subsurface. If you’re using this technology on your site, it would be wise to know the other ways it can be utilized to get more bang for your buck. This blog post explains DPT’s many purposes.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

How to Prove HRSC is the Best Investigation Approach for Your Project

Having a hard time justifying the cost of HRSC to your client? We hear this often from consultants, which is why you’ll want to keep this blog post bookmarked. In it, one of our HRSC experts explains how this type of technology fits into a strategic project plan, and how to communicate that to your clients.

How to Justify High Resolution Site Characterization to Your Clients

This on-demand webinar is the follow-up to the blog post, and dives deeper into some of the common fallacies that lead people to believe HRSC is too expensive. You’ll learn when and why HRSC should be used, and how to build a persuasive case for incorporating it on your next project.

How to Stop Wasting Money on Characterization Programs

As a consultant, you understand the outcomes you need to achieve for your project—but if you don’t understand and plan important details, costs can be unnecessarily high. In this blog post, you’ll learn how to follow three steps while planning your characterization efforts to maximize value for spend.