Project Geologist
Overview
Tait S. Russell, LG, is one of The Riley Group, Inc.’s project geologists with over 5 years of professional experience in the environmental field. He's worked on numerous projects involving the assessment, characterization, and remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater. Examples of projects he has worked on include Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESA), Phase II subsurface investigations, groundwater well installations, groundwater sampling, site characterizations, remedial investigations, feasibility studies, and remedial equipment operation. He has also been involved with the decommissioning, removal, and subsequent confirmation sampling for underground storage tanks (USTs). Mr. Russell also has experience with oversight of soil excavation and removal for site clean-ups, coordinating disposal of waste, and preparation and reviewing technical reports.
Education
| School & Location | Degree | Year |
|---|---|---|
| University of Washington | BS in Earth and Space Sciences | 2014 |
| University of Washington | MS in Applied Geosciences | 2016 |
Other Qualifications
- 40-hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)
- 8-hour HAZWOPER Refresher
- Commercial Small Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Remote Pilot
- First-Aid/CPR/AED
- Washington State Licensed Geologist
- Washington State Site Assessor
Project Experience
Burien Storage Development, Burien, WA – This property is planned to be redeveloped from a car storage lot into an indoor mini-storage unit facility and is within the Tacoma Smelter Plume. Mr. Russell conducted a shallow subsurface investigation of the property to determine if the property had been adversely affected by the Tacoma Smelter Plume. For this investigation, he hand-augured 30 locations to depths between 0.5 and 2.5 feet bgs in a single field day. The soil sampling was conducted in accordance with Ecology’s Tacoma Smelter Plume Model Remedies Guidance, dated June 2012. The laboratory results indicated that the property was in compliance with Washington State’s Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) Method A Soil Cleanup Level for Unrestricted Land Uses for arsenic and lead.
Fox Residential Plat Development, Kent, WA – This property was mid-development with land grading completed when the city required an assessment of the property soils be conducted due to the property historically operating as an orchard. Mr. Russell developed and implemented a soil sampling and analysis plan to address the potential contamination associated with the former orchard use of the property. The results were used to comply with the city and allow for the construction and development of the property to continue.
Stafford Meadows Development, Auburn, WA – Mr. Russell developed and wrote a cleanup action plan for a residential housing development impacted by the Tacoma Smelter Plume. A previous shallow subsurface investigation found arsenic concentrations in soil above the Washington State’s Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) Method A Soil Cleanup Level for Unrestricted Land Use. Mr. Russell’s cleanup action plan for the property complied with Ecology’s Tacoma Smelter Plume Model Remedies Guidance, dated July 2019, and has been accepted by Ecology.
Sunset Hill Development, Seattle, WA – This property was a historical gas station that had known USTs and soil contamination and was planned for redevelopment into a multi-family residential complex. Mr. Russell oversaw the field work associated with the decommissioning and removal of four USTs on the property and conducted the confirmation soil sampling. He also provided the field work necessary for subcontractors to excavate and remove petroleum-contaminated soil from the property. Mr. Russell collected the soil samples from the limits of the excavation that were needed to satisfy the Washington State Department of Ecology requirements.
University Car Dealership, Seattle, WA – Mr. Russell has been actively involved with the current remediation of an active Seattle car dealership. The dealership has known soil and groundwater contamination and is being remediated with single- and dual-phase vapor extraction wells and a catalytic reactor. Mr. Russell has performed key roles in operating and maintaining the system. He also provides the field sampling of influent and effluent vapor from the system. Furthermore, he has worked on sampling and remediating (via dewatering) contaminated groundwater on the property.