Frederic Cosme is a Principal Engineer based in Melbourne, Australia, with 20 years’ experience in environmental consulting and hydrogeology. Frederic has strength in converting scientific outcomes of investigations into practical remedial engineering design considerations and tangible risk-based results. Frederic has spent most of his career focusing on the manufacturing and oil & gas sectors as well as former gasworks. He has delivered outcomes for a range of environmental projects across Australia (NSW, QLD, SA, VIC and WA), Continental Europe and North America.

His experience includes conceptual site model development, hydrogeological assessments, remedial feasibility assessments, remedial pilot tests, groundwater risk assessments, landfill rehabilitation as well as groundwater resources and management. He has a proven track record in leading the implementation of innovative groundwater investigation and remediation techniques, including environmental forensics. He has extensive experience with fractured rock systems and coastal sites or sites adjacent to surface water. Fred has advanced the state of the practice by pioneering the implementation of innovative applied and environmental groundwater tracing techniques.

Specialties

• Conceptual Site Model Development
• Groundwater Assessment and Remediation
• Fate and Transport Studies and Modelling
• Groundwater and Surface Water Interaction
• Applied and Environmental Tracers

Selected Australian Project Experience

Major Smelting Facility, Port Pirie SA, Australia. 
Technical Director for the development, design and implementation of management measures for mitigating metal impacts to groundwater. The site covers about 180 ha and has been in continued operations for over 130 years.  The main works included hydrogeological and geochemical characterization including innovative fluorescent dye tracer testing, conceptual site model supported by geochemical modelling, numerical flow and transport groundwater modelling and river hydrodynamic modelling, detailed design of a dewatering system and ecological risk assessment using diffusive gradient in thin films (DGTs).

Chemical and Explosive Manufacturing, Deer Park VIC, Australia.
Groundwater Manager/Lead Hydrogeologist for the remediation/ divestment/ redevelopment of a chemical manufacturing site in Australia where operations started in the 1870s. The site covers an area of about 140 hectares, which is underlain by a 50m sequence of fractured basalt. Groundwater is mainly contaminated with chloronitroaromatics, chlorinated solvents, perchlorate and nitrogen. Presence of DNAPL. Major performed tasks have included: Management of hydrogeological assessment/groundwater characterization (multi-million dollars effort), coordination of the project hydrogeological team including seven senior staff, development of site (hydrogeological) conceptual models,  contribution to the deployment of innovative investigation approaches such as tests in open borehole, FLUTe liners, Passive Flux Meters and key technical support role for the groundwater remediation efforts.

Explosive Manufacturing, Maribyrnong VIC, Australia. 
Principal Hydrogeologist/Technical Lead for the redevelopment/ divestment/ remediation of the former Commonwealth explosive factory in Maribyrnong. The site covers an area of about 130 hectares and is planned to be redeveloped into a new suburb of the greater Melbourne area. The geology of the site consists of Quarternary aged palaeochannels carved into a Tertiary age sequence of sediments interbedded with basaltic lava. Groundwater at the site is mainly contaminated with chlorinated solvents, chloro and nitroaromatics, perchlorate and nitrogen.

Former Gasworks, Fitzroy and Bendigo VIC, Australia.
Technical Director/Principal Hydrogeologist for two significantly contaminated gasworks sites in Victoria. The works involved the development and implementation of risk management strategies and remediation in the context of Environmental Audits. Both sites are inner urban setting, involving strong community expectation and stakeholder scrutiny, including press articles.

Oil Refinery, VIC, Australia. 
Principal Hydrogeologist for the hydrogeological assessment of offsite impacts of an oil refinery in the context of an EPA Environmental Audit (53V). The work included integration of dissolved phase and LNAPL fingerprinting (about 150 samples). 

Dr. Julie Konzuk has over two decades of environmental consulting and research experience in Australia and North America. During this time, she has implemented remediation programs targeting cleanup of soil and groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvents (chlorinated ethenes, ethanes and methanes), non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs), unexploded ordnance and munitions constituents (e.g., perchlorate and nitroaromatics), heavy metals, nitrated and chlorinated benzenes, and chlorofluorinated compounds (Freon).

Julie has directed, managed, or provided specialist technical support for multiple projects ranging from overall strategy development and site investigation to laboratory treatability studies, and design/implementation of innovative in situ remediation technologies. Julie also has experience with litigation support (insurance recovery and expert witness testimony in the New South Wales Land and Environment Court), third-party independent peer reviews and has multiple publications (including guidance documents and journal articles).

Specialties

• Remedial investigation/design and implementation
• Remediation strategy
• Treatability studies
• Technical peer review
• Fractured bedrock remediation
• Litigation support

Selected Australian Project Experience

Chemical Manufacturing Facility, Botany Bay, NSW. Provided design and technical support during implementation of four enhanced in situ bioremediation (EISB) pilot trials for treatment of a plume containing 1,000s mg/L chlorinated solvent concentrations. The trials successfully demonstrated the ability to overcome inhibition related to high concentrations of ethylene dichloride (EDC) and low pH groundwater with engineering controls. The trials achieved biodegradation of >1,000 mg/L EDC and other chlorinated ethenes, methanes and ethanes to innocuous end products, with a total mass degraded exceeding 3,000 kg over the 18-month pilot trial duration.

Dry Cleaners Facility, Sydney, NSW. Provided treatability study, remedial design, and technical support for pilot and full-scale implementation of EISB treatment of tetrachloroethene (PCE) dense, non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPL) source area and plume. Pilot testing indicated successful stimulation of biodegradation of PCE DNAPL with enhancement of the dissolution of the DNAPL between 2-4 times and clean-up of the downgradient and off-site plume to below cleanup criteria. The full-scale system successfully met the interim remedial goals specified by the NSW Land and Environment Court and, in some areas of the plume, met the final remedial goals within the first 8 months of operation. Dr. Konzuk also provided expert witness support in the landowner's successful appeal in the NSW Land and Environment Court.

Chemical Manufacturing Facilities, Melbourne, VIC. Provided treatability study (in partnership with a local laboratory) and desktop feasibility study evaluations of EISB for two fractured bedrock sites impacted with chlorinated/nitrated benzenes and aniline DNAPL. The evaluations illustrated that only a portion of the contaminants were likely to be effectively treated with EISB and that high concentrations within the DNAPL source zones were inhibitory to biological activity. Within the plume, the lower concentrations were demonstrated to be treatable with EISB. A cost-benefit analysis indicated that the cost effectiveness of an EISB remedy within the plume was highly dependent on the contaminant mass flux and that EISB may not be a cost-effective approach.. A feasibility evaluation of EISB treatment of a separate PCE source area is currently underway.

Paul Nicholson is a senior environmental engineer with over 15 years of experience in environmental consulting with a focus on assessing and mitigating human health risks associated with sub-surface vapour intrusion. Paul is currently located in Canada but was formerly in our Melbourne Office (2016 to 2018) and has completed vapour intrusion projects in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales. Paul brings a wealth of practical expertise gained from large investigation and mitigation projects in North America with an emphasis on the application of innovative solutions. As a senior member of Geosyntec’s world-class vapour intrusion practice team Paul has contributed to several research and design projects funded by the US Department of Defense and applies these technologies for cost-effective solutions at Client’s sites. Paul played a key role in the development of Geosyntec’s High Volume Sampling (HVS) methods and modeling which provides a more robust level of subsurface characterisation for vapour intrusion investigations at large buildings compared to traditional approaches and can be used to design optimised vapour mitigation systems.

In addition, Paul has experience with in-situ remediation technologies including enhanced in-situ bioremediation (EISB), soil vapour extraction (SVE), multi-phase extraction (MPE) and sediment capping.

Specialties

• Vapour Intrusion Investigation and Mitigation
• Remedial investigation
• In-situ Remediation Design and Implementation
• Remediation System Optimisation

SELECTED AUSTRALIAN PROJECT EXPERIENCE

Manufacturing Facility, Melbourne, Victoria. Project Manager for the implementation of an enhanced in-situ bioremediation program to treat chlorinated solvent impacts in groundwater. The project involved the delineation of an off-site plume, pilot trials involving emulsified vegetable oil (EVO) and EHC in-situ chemical reduction products. The full scale scope of work involved the design, installation and implementation of EVO injections within the active manufacturing facility and incorporated optimised planning to work around ongoing production schedules. Three sources areas and three plume areas were completed with ongoing performance monitoring to evaluate the success of the design and implementation.

Vapour Intrusion Mitigation Design, South Australia Environmental Protection Agency, Adelaide, South Australia. Design and construction of several crawlspace vapour mitigation systems at residential properties for the SA EPA. Developed unique designs for individual properties incorporating the innovate use of crawlspace venting rather than crawlspace depressurization. Crawlspace venting reduced the loss of conditioned air from residential houses which in-turn lowered the operating costs of the vapour mitigation system.

Aerated Floor Vapour Mitigation System Design, New South Wales. Designed a vapour mitigation system for a 10,000 m2 facility incorporating the use of Cupolex aerated floor systems. The Cupolex design reduced construction costs of the vapour mitigation system by almost 50% and the unique design included air inlet ventilation to enhance the biodegradation of potential methane vapours beneath the proposed building while mitigating the chlorinated solvent vapours.

Sarah Schiess is a Principal based in Melbourne, Australia with 30 years of professional experience focused in the areas of groundwater hydrology and contaminated land investigation and remediation.  Sarah has lived and worked in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia.

Sarah is a specialist in the management of environmental liability as it relates to large portfolios of sites.  She is also a specialist in quantitative hydrogeologic assessments with extensive experience in a wide range of environmental, mining, oil industry and water resource projects.  Her areas of technical expertise include multi-phase flow through porous media (LNAPL and DNAPL), site investigation/remediation, groundwater  and contaminant transport modelling, quantitative evaluation of groundwater hydraulics, and contaminant fate and transport.  She has worked within Australian, U.S. and New Zealand regulatory environments.  The types of contaminated sites that she has worked on include; oil industry; agricultural; timber treatment; gas works; landfills; U.S. EPA CERCLA and RCRA sites; industrial facilities; and defense facilities.  She has also worked on numerous mining and water supply projects in both the U.S. and New Zealand.

Sarah has worked as both a consultant and within industry as an Environmental Manager for a multinational oil company.  In her role as Environmental Manager, she was responsible for development and evaluation of lifecycle strategies for a large portfolio of contaminated sites in order to minimize liabilities while meeting all regulatory requirements in a timely, cost effective manner.  This required extensive stakeholder engagement (with the business, lawyers, regulators, land owners and occupiers and the public) as well as a strong technical understanding of the all aspects of the sites' conditions.

As an environmental consultant, Sarah has developed Conceptual Site Models for a number of complex contaminant and hydrogeologic conditions through the use of innovative field techniques and data evaluation tools.  This has allowed the regulatory close out of a number of sites which were previously problematic and costly to the client.

Specialties

• Groundwater Investigations
• Contaminated Land Investigation/Management/Remediation
• Non-aqueous Phase Liquids (LNAPL and DNAPL)
• Contaminated Land Liability Prevention/Minimisation
• Regulatory Compliance

Dr. David Reynolds has extensive experience in the development and implementation of effective remediation and management strategies for complex and challenging contaminated sites. Dave excels at provision of strategic advice to clients for management of stakeholders, interactions with regulators, environmental liabilities for potential acquisitions, technical arguments for litigation, and management of site investigation and remediation. Dave also specializes in fundamental conceptual model development through novel, critical and effective field investigation leading to cost effective and technically sound remediation strategies.

He has over 20 years of practical and academic experience, and has been central to the training of existing practitioners and the next generation of contaminant specialists in Australia and Southeast Asia over the past decade. He is an expert modeler of single and multiphase flow and transport in both porous and fractured media, is a member of the National Research Council Committee on Fractured Rock, and is recognized as one of Australia's leading NAPL related contamination experts. Dave has acted as Project or Technical Director for numerous contaminated sites, encompassing DNAPLs, LNAPLs, inorganics, and pesticides.

Specialties

• Litigation support and due diligence
• Accredited Auditor, WA
• Site investigation and remediation
• Applied research
• Fractured bedrock remediation

Selected Australian Project Experience

Corporate Acquisition, W.A., Victoria, NSW. Directed multi-site due diligence project for potential acquisition by overseas entity of two chemical usage services with widely scattered offices, terminals, and storage facilities.

Mineral Refining Laboratory, Belmont, W.A. Project Director. Historical waste disposal practices resulted in a small-scale DNAPL source zone within a locally stratified aquifer in the midst of an industrial subdivision, with the resulting plume discharging to a local drain connected to a sensitive water body. The site has become a focus for research into site investigation and remediation sustainability within Western Australia, with intensive source zone investigation, PITTs, passive flux bag installations (the first in Australia), and extensive laboratory work on the possibilities for low-impact, sustainable remediation.

Former Waste Transfer Facility, Perth, W.A. Principal Engineer and reviewer for a detailed site investigation, numerical modeling program, and remediation of a former waste transfer facility contaminated with chlorinated solvents, hydrocarbons, metals and pesticides. Technical director and designer for world's first sequenced nZVI permeable reactive barrier. Project Director for remediation of two source zones at the site using enhanced in-situ bioremediation and base-activated persulfate delivered via soil mixing.

Active Dry Cleaning Facility, Sydney, NSW. Expert witness (Defendant) for litigation involving historical releases of dry cleaning fluid and associated impacts on adjacent commercial and residential properties.

Agricultural Land, Confidential Location. Expert witness (Defendant) on stable isotope hydrogeology and inorganic fate and transport for two litigation matters involving alleged oil and gas exploration and production activities impacts on agricultural land. Scope involved preparation of expert reports, depositions, and testimony. Former Dry Cleaning Facility, Confidential Location. Expert witness (Plaintiff) on contaminant fate and transport and remediation approaches for litigation matter involving presence of dry cleaning fluid in soil and fractured rock.

Former Service Station, Confidential Location. Expert witness (Defendant) for conceptual site model development and contaminant fate and transport of petroleum hydrocarbons in fractured rock.

Dr. Todd McAlary is the Practice Leader for Vapour Intrusion Services at Geosyntec Consultants. He has degrees in geological engineering and hydrogeology and a Ph.D. in chemistry. He has over 28 years of consulting experience focused on the evaluation of contaminant fate and transport in groundwater and the vadose zone. Todd specialises in assessing and mitigating the migration of volatile organic compound (VOC) vapours from the sub-surface into buildings and the associated human health risks. He has been a member of the U.S. EPA Expert Panel on Vapour intrusion since 2000 and has authored or co-authored several guidance documents on the topic (including RCRA, OSWER, ITRC, US. Navy, UK Energy Institute, NJDEP, Atlantic PIRI, EPRI, CCME and Ontario MOE).

He has provided technical consultation in support of litigation involving several vapour intrusion issues and regularly serves as a technical specialist in regulatory negotiations involving groundwater contamination and vapour intrusion issues where his expertise and communication skills have been critical to stakeholder understanding of the complex nature of the topics. He has conducted pioneering research in vapour transport modeling, passive sampling, building pressure/ventilation testing, high volume sampling and compound-specific isotope analysis.

Specialties

• Innovative technology development
• Chemical fate and transport modeling
• Groundwater investigation and remediation
• Subsurface vapour transport and inhalation exposure
• Expert consultation

Selected Australian Project Experience

Former Manufacturing Facility, Botany Bay, NSW. Provided contaminant fate and transport modeling and interpretation in support of a remedial design for a feasibility study of several remedial technologies for ethylene dibromide (EDB) in a dissolved groundwater plume.

Self-Storage Facility, Adelaide, SA. Provided design services for a sub-floor venting system to mitigate the potential for trichloroethene (TCE) vapour intrusion at a large, multi-story self-storage facility. The design incorporated a geotextile (drainage mat) layer below the floor slab with a series of perforated pipes lain horizontally below the floor to provide efficient flushing of the air-filled pores below the slab with minimum long-term energy draw.

Australian Contaminated Land Consulting Association. Primary instructor for a full-day course on assessment and management of subsurface vapour intrusion to indoor air in Sydney and Melbourne, which was attended by over 100 professionals.

Former Paint Manufacturing Facility, Confidential Location. Provided peer technical review of a remedy re-evaluation for chlorinated solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons in groundwater at a site with complicated geologic conditions and divergent groundwater flow directions, including scoping and interpreting additional data collection for source evaluation, working in cooperation with a local consulting firm.

Former Manufacturing Facility, Confidential Location. Provided independent third party review of a soil and groundwater remedy consisting of excavation, treatment and replacement of soil containing chlorinated solvents, including developing a characterisation program using the Waterloo Membrane Sampler, and providing review and interpretation of the data in support of management strategies.

Dr. Lange Jorstad has 20 years of experience in the management of both contaminated land and hydrogeological investigations, and specialist hydrogeological support for multi-disciplinary projects in Australia, Asia Pacific and the US. He has directed, managed and been a technical contributor to numerous environmental assessment and remediation projects, specializing in risk-based site characterization to guide management decisions for contaminated land, conceptual model development to evaluate contaminant transport and exposure pathways, and geochemical analysis and modelling for water quality assessment.

Lange has applied these services to a broad range of client sectors including manufacturing, land development, oil and gas, mining, waste management, transportation, defence and local government. His experience also includes statutory auditing of contaminated site assessment and remediation in NSW and ACT, and technical representation of clients in regulatory negotiations and litigation. Lange also has considerable experience with groundwater impact assessment services for oil and gas developments in Australia, including a particular emphasis on hydraulic fracturing risk assessments.

Specialties

• Contaminated site assessment
• Statutory contaminated land auditing (NSW, ACT)
• Hydrogeological and geochemical assessment
• Regulatory negotiation and litigation support

Selected Australian Project Experience

Former Manufacturing Facility, Sydney, NSW. Managed a soil, soil vapour, surface water and groundwater investigation at a former manufacturing facility and adjacent parkland with chlorinated solvents impacts, which was subject to a Management Order issued by the NSW EPA. Services included detailed site investigations, development of a conceptual site model of contaminant transport between the site and a nearby creek, supervision of quantitative risk assessment and contaminant fate and transport modelling, managing regulatory negotiations, and providing technical advice to support litigation.

Former Manufactured Gas Plant, Armidale, NSW. Provided detailed technical review and analysis of post-remediation monitoring data (groundwater, surface water, sediment and soil vapour) to assess the performance of remediation measures in reducing contaminant flux to an adjacent creek. Dr. Jorstad represented the local Council in negotiations with the Site Auditor regarding the remaining requirements to facilitate issue of a Section A Site Audit Statement.

Hydrogeological Assessment for Landfill Expansion, Wollongong, NSW. Prepared a hydrogeological assessment to support a critical expansion to a landfill near Wollongong, NSW. Services involved data review and gaps analysis, specification of additional investigation and monitoring, development of a conceptual hydrogeological model, and assessment of groundwater-related risks from the proposed development. The study contributed to an EA that passed the Department of Planning test of adequacy on the first assessment.

Hydraulic Fracturing Risk Assessments, Surat, Bowen, Cooper and Eromanga Basins, Queensland. Project Director and technical contributor for several major stimulation risk assessments for unconventional (coal seam gas, shale gas, tight sands gas) and conventional oil and gas operations in Queensland. He supervised large, multi-disciplinary project teams to deliver detailed hydrogeological and toxicological assessments of the hydraulic stimulation process, and provided technical representation of clients at meetings with the regulator.

Principal, Chief Financial Officer

Boca Raton

Jon Dickinson has over 25 years of business leadership experience in consulting engineering providing a unique combination of financial and risk analysis with technical expertise. His transaction advisory experience includes strategic and financial evaluations, deal negotiations and structuring, and due diligence and integration strategy for acquisitions and spinoffs. Jon has led the development and enhancement of innovative project management and financial systems. He has significant experience in operational roles and regularly provides business-strategic guidance, cost analysis, planning, and risk management services. He also excels in the identification, development, and deployment of advanced protocols and tools that support commercial endeavors and the ongoing evolution of operational and managerial efficiency.

Jon leads Geosyntec's Risk Management Committee that evaluates challenging project opportunities with a focus on finding innovative ways to help clients address project hurdles, assess risk, and maximize their investment returns. He has led the development of robust risk assessments and project management programs. Jon has trained technical staff to successfully manage projects and initiatives to speed time-to-delivery and efficiency. He has in-depth knowledge of risk management, contract commercial provisions and insurance products and services for both domestic and international operations. He also has a breadth of experience working with in-house and outside legal counsel, managing legal proceedings, and dispute resolutions. In addition to his professional practice obligations, Jon also serves as Chief Financial Officer of the firm.