Construction Management for a Storage and Shipping Facility

Client: Storage and Shipping Facility

Location: Portland, Oregon

Contamination Overview

Soda ash can be difficult to contain. During ship and railcar loading and unloading operations, small amounts of this fine powder can escape, land on the ground, and be picked up by stormwater runoff. This can result in elevated pH in stormwater and trigger NPDES stormwater permit corrective action requirements.

About the Project

A soda ash storage and shipping facility engaged MFA to design and construct a stormwater pH adjustment system consisting of a pump station, carbon dioxide storage, injection and reaction tanks, and associated conveyance system modifications.

Actions Taken

The project was permitted through the City of Portland, coordinated with the Port of Portland (the property owner), and constructed in 2018. MFA provided construction oversight and coordinated the work of a number of contractors and inspectors, ranging from the treatment system vendor, the carbon dioxide vendor, the pump vendor, geotechnical and structural engineers, and an electrical contractor, to a general contractor that constructed the pump station, valve vault, concrete pad, and piping. MFA also ensured that the contractors’ operations minimized impact to the client’s ongoing shipping operations and complied with the port’s security requirements.

Results

The treatment system has reduced the pH levels in stormwater discharged from the site to the Willamette River to below the stormwater permit benchmarks.