RespondFast^® Real-Time Monitoring System: WESTON's Success at Buckley Air Force Base

WESTON was under contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Omaha Rapid Response/Immediate Response contract to remediate asbestos-contaminated soil at Buckley Air Force Base (AFB) in Denver, Colorado. WESTON has remediated 23,000 cubic yards (yd³) of asbestos-contaminated soil that was generated during the demolition of a hospital at the base. By using WESTON’s innovative technology products, Colorado’s strict regulatory requirements were met on this high-profile assignment. The state required either total enclosure of the excavation area or site monitoring to prevent asbestos emissions during operations. Because the potential excavation area totaled 55 acres, site monitoring was chosen as the most cost effective approach and WESTON monitored particulates as a surrogate for asbestos. The system automated and streamlined the reporting process, reducing report production time from several hours to minutes.

WESTON developed the RespondFast^® system to automate data collection from sensors (air, water, soil, etc.) and allow real-time retrieval by sending the data over a wire, wireless, satellite, or Web connection to a secure Internet database, where data can be displayed in tabular, graphical, and spatial formats. Designed for maximum adaptability, the RespondFast^® system can be tailored to meet specific project needs.

WESTON set up 20 automated particulate monitors at Buckley. Each monitor included an antenna for telemetry, a solar panel for power, a MIE PDR-1000 particulate monitor, a datalogger, and a 900 MHz spread spectrum radio. By continually monitoring each sample location from a central computer, WESTON was able to monitor site activities to determine if they were contributing to increased ambient concentrations of particulates. If particulate concentrations exceeded background concentrations, WESTON evaluated the source of the particulate to determine if it resulted from PM generated by site activities. Construction operations could then be stopped and modified, if necessary, until the situation was resolved.

The RespondFast^® system’s Web interface helped connect WESTON, USACE, Buckley (AFB), and regulatory agencies with diverse technology platforms and information in real time. Having access to this information assured the client and the regulators that operations were not generating emissions in violation of standards, and the workflow automation significantly streamlined data gathering/management and report generation efforts.

Without the RespondFast^® system, 20 sampling technicians would have been needed to manually perform the observations necessary to meet the Colorado State Regulator’s definition of continuous real-time monitoring. From supervising many people to managing the information flow and data retrieval, the manual technique would have presented many logistical problems and been more costly. By using the RespondFast^® system, data were telemetered back to an on-site central computer, allowing instrument reading to be managed by one person, while giving access to real-time information via the Web through TeamLink^®, WESTON’s Web-based collaborative worksite.

The RespondFast^® system also automated and streamlined the reporting process, reducing report production time from several hours per day to minutes.

The Buckley (AFB) project used an on-site remote-controlled WebCam to provide a continuously recorded photographic record of project operations and allow users to monitor site activities using a secure TeamLink^® portal. With one click, an authorized viewer could redirect the camera to a different part of the work site. The WebCam provided further proof of project compliance by allowing real-time monitoring of operations and photographic documentation of WESTON working to maintain compliance with air quality standards.