| AIRBORNE
Pollutants Can't Hide
Consulting group uses infrared imagery for environmental assessments
By Greg Thomason Scary and unknown substances lurk beneath the surface of many graveyards. Sounds like a one-line pitch for the next Stephan King novel. Yet, the truth of the matter is, an unknown number of cemeteries world-wide have hidden deposits of highly toxic, environmentally unstable substances. And for the world's largest owner of cemetery properties, SCI Management, with headquarters in Houston, Texas, knowing what exists at both current properties and cemeteries under consideration for purchase becomes a necessary part of doing business.
Tom Cooper, for one, knows; he's president of Eco-Research, an environmental consultant group located in Lawrenceville, Georgia. With the use of infrared imagery and GPS (global positioning system), Eco-Research offers clients the ability to locate unknown pollution sources, and the expertise necessary to make recommendations on environmentally sound clean up procedures. As a result of doing phase I and II environmental assessments and remediation, Cooper has seen it all. Among his list of discovered pollutants are old cars, tons of tires, hundreds of 55 gallon drums, oil and gas contaminated soils, spilled PCBs, and enough plastic flowers to decorate a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float.
In business for the past three years, Cooper's own background sets him apart from many of his would be competitors. A licensed pilot since the age of 16, his academic pursuits steered him toward law school. After earning his jurors doctorate degree, he practiced law for a number of years until he realized he wanted to incorporate his love for the environment in his work. Through a friend, he learned of the phase I certification program offered by the National Society of Environmental Consultants. The result of this cumulative knowledge provides Cooper an opportunity to "try to provide every possible way to protect our clients," using his understanding of the law and the environmental regulations that apply to businesses.
Because each cemetery location differs in size, ranging from 7 to 300 acres; type of pollutants found; as well as the quantity of each hazardous material, Cooper starts every job with a personal reconnaissance of the area. Using a Garmin survey grade GPS system, he'll establish boundaries for the property. These coordinates are faxed back to his office where Lee R. Muranko, vice president of Eco-Research manages a staff to do an extensive data base search on the background history for the land encompassed within the specified property, plus all surrounding properties within a 1 mile radius. In addition to identifying any potential pollution sources at the cemetery, Eco-Research wants to be able to identify contributing sources of pollution from all bordering properties. Cooper says his staff compiles this profile on the land using the ERIIS (Environmental Risk Information and Imaging Services) data base on RCRIS (Resource Conservation and Recovery Information System) sites and a standard 50 year title search that provides information on previous owners and uses for the land.
When performing his ground truth surveillance on a property, one of the first things Cooper looks for are mounds of bare soil. "Anytime you have a cemetery you have fill dirt piled up. Often times people use this fill to bury unwanted materials," he says. "Let's say I'm walking, there will always be signs of discoloration in the soil, sheen in the water, distressed vegetation, and oil cans or batteries." These are the obvious pollution sources.
To determine the type and extent of additional pollution sources on a property, Cooper says he will then fly over the area. Often times, these problem areas become visible to the naked eye. Other times it requires the use of IR imagery.
Flying with a Cincinnati Electronics IRRIS 256ST camera, Cooper was first exposed to this technology shortly after he received his phase I certification. Through an experiment he flew for CE, he saw how he could take this technology and apply it in the environmental field. "I didn't know anything about infrared," he says. Because of this, he contracted out the film analysis work in the beginning. Now, depending on where the job is, he will either have the work contracted out or done in-house.
Infrared imagery is well-suited to detecting anomalies in the soil because of its ability to distinguish temperature variations within the soil. No matter what the season, the prevailing ground temperature will always deviate when foreign substances are present. "IR can provide additional information to due diligence," Cooper claims. As a record of what he discovers, Cooper says his clients receive a georeferenced aerial image. "All of this," he says, "can be used in trial and to build a record to use against past property owners."
In today's litigious society, learning more about those scary and unknown substances lurking beneath the surface of cemeteries and other properties is not an unwarranted preoccupation. Matter of fact, Cooper notes, other property management companies with holdings in golf courses have also become Eco-Research clients in an effort to expand their knowledge on the past uses for the land and establish their claim to the Innocent Landowner Defense allowed by the governing environmental laws.
Editor's note: Infrared images depicting projects Eco-Research worked on were not available from the list of clients contacted. Back |
