Ronald A. Harwood

Ronald A. Harwood, LSRP, Executive Vice President and Project Director

EDUCATION

• M.S., Geology, 1993; University of Rhode Island
• B.S., Geology, 1990; University of Rhode Island

PROFESSIONAL LICENSES AND AFFILIATIONS

• Licensed Site Remediation Professional, State of New Jersey, License No. 575016

SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE

Mr. Harwood is a Senior Geologist, Project Director and Executive Vice President with over 28 years of experience in environmental consulting working with private and public sector clients. Mr. Harwood’s experience includes planning and implementing environmental investigations, including Preliminary Assessments (PAs), Site Investigations (SIs), UST closures, and Remedial Investigations (RIs), and remediation projects at a variety of sites involving the redevelopment of contaminated properties for residential, commercial, and industrial future uses.  His responsibilities include the management of technical staff and project management and development of the technical and regulatory approaches for characterization of soil and groundwater quality at properties in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Mr. Harwood is highly skilled in the development of effective and cost-efficient technical and cost proposals and investigation work plans.  He reviews and interprets environmental data, coordinates with clients and regulatory agencies, manages subcontractors, supervises the implementation of environmental investigations, and produces final reports.  He also provides technical consultation to re-direct the environmental compliance process on stalled projects, formulates cost-effective approaches to solving complex environmental problems associated with the integration of remedial action into redevelopment plans for a wide variety of end uses, and provides trial testimony for resolution of environmental issues and preparation of expert reports.

Mr. Harwood offers effective management and technical consulting through his hands-on experience in a wide variety of field investigation and remediation activities, including installation of monitoring wells (overburden and bedrock) and test borings, collection of soil and water samples (including direct push and low-flow purging/sampling techniques), closure of underground storage tanks, field screening surveys (soil vapor assessments), hot-spot soil excavation, construction of Engineering Controls, and a wide range of groundwater remediation techniques.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

1998 to Present
Excel Environmental Resources, Inc., North Brunswick, New Jersey
Project Director/Executive Vice President

Mr. Harwood is responsible for providing overall technical and strategic support for ongoing environmental compliance and remediation projects, including management of field investigations as well as the reduction and interpretation of geologic, hydrogeologic, and environmental data. His responsibilities also include management of project staff and proposal development, client and agency interaction, and preparation of final reports. Mr. Harwood provides consultation to clients in order to resolve complex environmental issues associated with property transactions and development of contaminated properties.  Key experience includes:

• Technical, regulatory, and strategic consultation to the Borough of Ringwood regarding ongoing environmental investigation and remedial action activities at the Ringwood Mines Superfund site. Reviewed and evaluated all historic environmental data and documents prepared by the consultant working for the principal responsible party to determine the environmental compliance status and direction of the project.  Development of technical and strategic recommendations for redirection of the ongoing investigation and remedial action, negotiation with the principal responsible party, attorneys, and the community action group at the Site.  Participation in settlement negotiations between the Borough of Ringwood and the responsible party that included the preparation of remedial action cost estimates, evaluation of remedial action alternatives, and development of settlement strategies.
• Completed a site-wide PA, SI, and RI for a 38-acre commercial property in Paterson, New Jersey by incorporating data historically generated by others to streamline the completion of the investigation activities and enable the preparation of a comprehensive PA/SI/RI Report and Remedial Action Work Plan (RAWP) to position the property for redevelopment within the client’s aggressive time-line.  Remediation incorporates excavation of oil-impacted soil to address the occurrence of free-phase product on the groundwater with the establishment of Institutional Controls in the form of a Deed Notice with Engineering Controls that will consist of various caps as part of the final redevelopment of the property.
• Preparation of an Expert Report in support of a residential property owner in which groundwater beneath the client’s property had been impacted by the discharge of gasoline from a neighboring property.  Included a detailed review of all historic environmental documents and environmental data that focused on the status and adequacy of the work conducted on the neighboring property, the compliance status of the remediation, and the impact of the discharges to the client’s property.  As a result of Excel’s preparation of the Expert Report, the client successfully reached a settlement with the responsible party by clearly concluding that the offsite discharge had impacted groundwater quality beneath the client’s property that resulted in potential impacts to human health due to indoor air quality, decreased the value of the property, and increased the cost for future redevelopment.
• Trial testimony in support of a contract purchaser of commercial property in Pennsylvania.  As a result of Excel’s Preliminary Assessment and Site Investigation findings on behalf of the client, Mr. Harwood provided testimony regarding the environmental condition and compliance status of the subject property as well as the work conducted by Excel that clearly supported our client’s position that the owner of the property was not negotiating in good faith.  The work conducted by Excel and the testimony provided by Mr. Harwood successfully resulted in a ruling on our client’s behalf.
• Preparation of an Expert Report in support of the owner of a retail gasoline station that had purchased the property based on a deficient Preliminary Assessment conducted by others.  The Expert Report prepared by Mr. Harwood successfully demonstrated that the Preliminary Assessment Report that the client had relied upon to purchase the property failed to identify several underground storage tanks on the subject property that resulted in a discharge of gasoline to soil and groundwater.
• Management and technical consulting for a site-wide PA and SI in support of property redevelopment of a Brownfields site in northern New Jersey.  Project funds were obtained through the NJDEP Hazardous Discharge and Site Remediation Fund (HDSRF).  The project included performance of a PA and subsequent SI to characterize soil and groundwater conditions at the site.  The SI was implemented in a phased approach which enabled the collection of sufficient data to complete characterization of all identified AOCs and complete characterization and delineation of contaminated Historic Fill during the SI phase.  Remedial action in the form of a Deed Notice and Engineering Controls for the contaminated Historic Fill has been accepted by the NJDEP and will incorporated into the redevelopment plans as part of the Engineering Controls.
• Management and technical consulting for the development of the technical work scope for the remediation of the 600-acre Military Ocean Terminal (MOTBY) in Bayonne, New Jersey.  Responsible for the successful consolidation, review, and interpretation of all historic environmental data to enable the formulation of the technical approach for transitioning the project from the RI phase to a NJDEP-approved RAWP.  Integrated the completion of final soil and groundwater quality delineation as part of the overall remediation to enable the completion of remediation within the aggressive time frames established by the client resulting in issuance of an Entire Site No Further Action (NFA) and Covenant Not-to-Sue (CNS) by the NJDEP.
• Project Manager/Project Director providing overall management for several Brownfields properties throughout New Jersey.  The properties are at various stages of the investigation and remediation process utilizing funding obtained from the NJDEP HDSRF and the New Jersey Redevelopment Authority’s (NJRA) Brownfields Redevelopment Initiative in support of the municipality’s overall redevelopment plans.
• Management of the RI and Remedial Action (RA) of several gasoline USTs at a service station in central New Jersey.  Obtained funding for the client from the NJDEP HDSRF to offset costs for the environmental investigation and remediation.  Established that the groundwater quality at the subject property was adversely impacted by off-site and upgradient discharges of gasoline and successfully negotiated with the NJDEP for the expedited receipt of a NFA approval so that the pending property transaction could proceed.
• Managed and implemented groundwater and soil sampling for a RI to determine the type and extent of contamination at a Brownfield redevelopment site in central New Jersey.  Activities included supervision of contractors during drilling, building and foundation demolition, waste disposal, and production well abandonment, health and safety monitoring of contractors during field activities, and coordination of sample management.  Negotiated with the NJDEP for the receipt of a site-wide NFA approval to enable plans for redevelopment to proceed.
• Preparation of a RI/RA Report for an adhesives and paint manufacturer located in Bergen County, New Jersey.  The site was found to have soil and groundwater contamination which included a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and lead exceeding current soil cleanup criteria and groundwater quality standards.  Research and evaluation of treatment options for this project included the use of Oxygen Release Compound (ORC) technology to stimulate in-situ biodegradation at the core of the contaminant plume.  Coupled with minimal source removal and subsurface oxygenation, requirements for a Classification Exception Area (CEA) will be met and a formal CEA proposal will be included in the remedial action report.
• Conducted several PAs and SIs for a redeveloper in central New Jersey as part of property transactions and the redevelopment of former industrial properties.

1994 to 1998
EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., Berkeley Heights, New Jersey
Project Geologist

Mr. Harwood was responsible for planning and implementing environmental investigations at chemical/industrial sites, landfills, and Department of Defense (DOD) facilities.  Responsibilities included developing project plans, managing subcontractors, supervising and implementing investigations (installation of monitoring wells and soil borings, and collection of soil and water samples), evaluating and interpreting resulting data, and producing final reports.  Mr. Harwood’s responsibilities also included development of project schedules, assisting in proposal development, and coordination with clients. Representative experience includes:

• Project Geologist and Task Manager for a RI/Focused Feasibility Study at Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC) in Ewing, New Jersey to address groundwater impacted by chlorinated VOCs in a fractured bedrock aquifer.  Activities included an intensive groundwater monitoring program during start-up of an interim action pump and treat system, additional periodic groundwater monitoring of up to 80 site monitoring wells, supervising the installation of bedrock monitoring wells (including rock coring, packer sampling, and computerized water-level recording), and preparation of monitoring reports and a Focused Feasibility Study Report in which remedial alternatives included groundwater pump and treat and natural remediation.
• Project Geologist and Assistant Project Manager for an Environmental Baseline Survey and SI at NAWC in Ewing, New Jersey.  Responsible for managing the investigation at 35 Areas of Concern (AOCs).  Implemented and coordinated a field program consisting of active and passive soil vapor surveys, direct push soil/groundwater sampling, monitoring well installation and sampling, field screening for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and mercury vapor screening. Also responsible for preparing project plans, evaluating data, and preparing final investigation reports.
• Project Geologist for a Sediment-Based RI along a 6-mile river study area in northern New Jersey. Implemented and supervised the collection of samples from over 80 sets of sediment cores for chemical, radiochemical, and geotechnical analyses. Responsible for opening cores, describing lithology, and subsampling for analyses under Level C conditions.  Assisted in the collection of hydraulic velocity data and suspended sediment samples.
• Project Geologist for a pre-design investigation at an inactive sanitary landfill in eastern Pennsylvania. Responsible for supervising the installation of bedrock monitoring wells in fractured limestone and piezometers through landfill waste material (to evaluate the depth of known waste areas) and implementing an electromagnetic survey to evaluate the lateral extent of buried waste.
• Project Geologist for a SI and RI of several areas of concern at an Air Force Base in New Jersey. Supervised the installation of test borings, groundwater sampling points, and overburden monitoring wells.  Responsible for preparing portions of the SI Report.
• Conducted environmental surveys at naval facilities in New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania. Inspected structures and land areas for evidence of potential environmental concern, interviewed Navy and civilian personnel, performed record searches, and generated final reports.
• Geologist responsible for supervising the installation of soil borings and collecting soil samples for laboratory analyses during a remedial investigation of a building used to store lead-acid batteries. Also responsible for preparing portions of the RI Report.
• Geologist during the evaluation of a groundwater monitoring system at an industrial site in Axis, Alabama. Generated a revised groundwater monitoring plan to satisfy client goals and regulatory requirements. Collected groundwater samples from several monitoring wells and gauged up to 80 monitoring wells during semi-annual groundwater monitoring program.
• Geologist during several step and constant-rate aquifer tests to characterize the hydrogeology and to evaluate the hydrogeologic framework of a bedrock aquifer at a DOD facility in central New Jersey.
• Geologist conducting groundwater sampling at a manufactured gas plant site in Baltimore, Maryland, in which constituents of concern included coal tar, ash slag, and purified box wastes.
• Geologist during the remediation of soil at a transformer site in Brooklyn, New York.  Activities included field screening soil and wipe samples for PCBs onsite using portable immunoassay test kits, and collection of soil and wipe samples for fixed-laboratory analysis for PCBs.

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

• 40-Hour Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Hazardous Waste Site Worker Training (updated yearly with an 8-hour refresher)
• National Safety Council CPR
• National Safety Council First Aid

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

Dodge, L.J., Mertz, E., Harwood, R.A., May 2010, “In-Situ Aerobic Co-Metabolism Followed by Reductive Dechlorination of Trichloroethene to Enable Brownfield Redevelopment”, Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated & Recalcitrant Compounds, Monterey, California.