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Visit the FGS Group at the Sunshine Food and Fuel Expo (07/07/11)
We are always on the lookout for qualified and enthusiastic people who want to join our team.
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The FGS Group is a multi-disciplined environmental assessment and remediation consulting firm. We are a top ranked petroleum clean up company that recently was awarded a 5-year contract by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to perform services under direct contract.
We have consulted with state and federal agencies regarding the cleanup effort and the various sampling methodologies used to discern where the oil has affected our coastal waters and shorelines. Property protection can become a legal nightmare in disasters like this. The FGS Group has developed the attached sampling plan which could be used to establish a baseline (pre-oil hitting the shoreline) to assist you in dealing with the issues surrounding coast recovery and clean up. The parameters indicated on the sheet are the same parameters that are being sampled for by the EPA, the FDEP, and the United States Coast Guard.
In complicated situations like this disaster, it would be in the best interest of any property owner with coastline to obtain at least one background sample as evidence of what was there. This, coupled with picture or video evidence that properly documents your property (and location of the impact), will allow for discussions with the Responsible Party (RP) even after the cleanup is conducted. This was recently illustrated in Pensacola where the RP cleanup crew declared that they had cleaned up a stretch of beach, only to find that a smart citizen dug down at the high tide line where heavy oil was deposited on the beach and found oil buried more than a foot below the beach oil due to the tide overlapping the oil with sand. If that oil was not uncovered, it may have been forgotten entirely. This becomes more important after RP and its contractors have left the area saying the cleanup is over. Without pertinent data, any hope of recovery for damages could at best be diminished.
The FGS Group has offices in Tallahassee, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, and Jacksonville, Florida. Sample collection and report preparation will be billed on a time and material basis depending on location and number of samples required to document your property conditions.
A disaster of this magnitude and with a cost of cleanup that could be well over $20 billion could leave something behind; don't let it be oil on your property! Please contact Jon Bodie for more details at 813-623-1557 or at jbodie@thefgsgroup.com
The FGS Group (FGS) will collect sediment samples from un-impacted areas at the subject property and analyzed for specific chemicals and other indicator parameters. This will obtain background data which can then be compared to data obtained at the same sampling locations once the presence of oil has been observed. The data comparison can be utilized to document environmental impacts (i.e. exceedances of State limits, dramatic increases in concentrations of harmful chemicals, or direct environmental damage), and may form the basis for recovery of damages.
Sediment samples will be collected from the top 0-2 inches of sand or sediment at each sampling location. The exact number and locations of the samples will be determined by FGS based on the size of the subject area to be sampled (i.e. width and depth of the beach front, marsh front, or bay front property). The sampling points will have adequate spatial separation to achieve even representation across the subject property.
Samples will be collected from un-impacted areas to obtain background data which can then be compared to data obtained at the same sampling location once the presence of oil has been observed.
The sediment samples will be submitted to a State certified analytical laboratory for the following analyses:
The following field documentation will be maintained as described below.
Field Logbook: The field logbook is a descriptive notebook detailing site activities and observations so that an accurate, factual account of field procedures may be reconstructed. Entries will include, at a minimum, the following:
Sample Labels: Sample labels will be securely affixed to the sample container. The labels will clearly identify the particular sample and include the following information:
Custody Seal: Custody seals demonstrate that a sample container has not been tampered with or opened. The individual who has custody of the samples will sign and date the seal and affix it to the container in such a manner that it cannot be opened without breaking the seal.
At the completion of the project, FGS will review and validate laboratory data and prepare a report of field activities and analytical results with conclusions regarding background conditions.
The report will also include the following appendices:
Each site will be different and could require sampling on a site specific basis. FGS will provide a cost estimate catered to your site and will suggest the minimal testing that will secure the necessary data for a claim to be filed.
For further assistance regarding this background sampling please contact: