Raleigh-Durham International Airport Cleanup

In 2005, a weld failed on underground piping spilling 34,000-gallons of jet fuel at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The magnitude of the release required immediate emergency response and mitigation. The Airport Authority faced an enormous environmental cleanup effort creating a logistical and administrative nightmare.

S&ME and the Airport Authority coordinated an effective response to stop and control the source of the breach. In addition, the team undertook significant waste management and incident planning steps. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the EPA praised the team’s efforts. By undertaking a common-sense approach and application of successful long-term remedial design, these efforts offer a textbook example of how to respond to future environmental incidents.

Highlights

• Management and remediation of major environmental incident