Abstract
	A HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN is being developed for handing 
contamination at construction sites. Discovery of contamination on a construction site means big delays and 
cost overruns. Hence a detailed procedure for contaminated sites is being developed for TxDOT engineers 
that provides information on the current acceptable practices and techniques in handling common types of 
contamination. The collected information will be synthesized into well integrated reference document that 
has the plans to address contamination at various stages of construction. One of the tasks in developing the 
handbook is collection of case studies, the analysis of which gives a better understanding of available 
options under various site conditions. All the cases collected so far had been documented in a database  
which is simple to manage and helpful in selection of the remedial options. The analysis of case studies 
shows that the physical methods are the most widely used technologies compared to all the remediation 
options available. Analysis on costs shows that chemical processes are the most expensive while physical 
methods are the least expensive of all the options available. 


1.  Introduction
	Contamination at the construction site comprises of both hazardous and non hazardous waste. The 
presence of contamination does not automatically require expensive treatment strategies. If the 
contamination is due to hazardous waste which will subsequently pose threat to environment as well as 
human life, the site should be treated before going for construction. Remediation prior to construction is 
often preferred because it gives the construction crew a clean site requiring no special procedures or 
precautions.  The most difficult situation is when contamination is unexpectedly discovered during 
construction, which almost results in work stoppages and cost overruns. Another problem with these 
contaminated sites is that once the contaminated soil or groundwater is removed to the surface, it should be 
subjected to a wide range of strictly enforced safety and environmental regulations (federal and state) for 
handling and disposal. 
 
2.   Literature Review
	The contaminants commonly encountered at a construction site are inorganics, organics, and 
metals. Depending on the type of contaminant and the extent of contamination, various remedial options are 
available for the application on to a particular site. The costs involved in the remediation and the duration of 
the treatment also governs the selection of a particular technology. The aspects considered in the literature 
review are site characterization, documenting case studies and treatment technologies. The hazardous waste 
management plan includes five phases starting from site characterization to post treatment monitoring.  All 
the phases are being represented in e form of flow charts which are simple and easy to understand. 

3.   Case Studies
	Case studies on contaminated construction sites are how various treatment technologies were 
selected and used. These case studies have been collected from different sources and have been documented 
in a format which gives all the significant details of the project. These case studies help a lot in giving a 
preliminary idea for selecting the technology. Sixty case studies have been collected so far and are stored in 
a database using a software program FILE MAKER PRO in Macintosh O.S. This documentation helps in 
analyzing the data for popular treatment technologies and cost. The query will then provide with the case 
studies of the similar kind and hence gives an idea as to which treatment method is suitable for the 
conditions of the site. The results of analysis shows that the physical methods are the most frequently 
selected technologies for remediation. The cost analysis shows that the chemical methods are the most 
expensive technologies while the physical methods are the least expensive for remediation. This shows that 
the cost is also an important factor in selecting a remediation technology. 

The analysis of case studies are shown in the following figures:

4.   Summary
	In this study, sixty case studies have been collected so far and documented. Preliminary analysis on 
cost and case studies have been completed. The analysis suggests that physical methods are the most 
popular treatment technologies selected so far for cleaning up the contaminated sites. A Handbook for 
handling contamination at the construction sites is being developed. 	

5.   Acknowledgments	
	This work was supported by a grant from  Texas Department of Transportation to the University of 
Houston.

6.   References

1. David Friend, Jan Connery, "Dealing with Hazardous Waste Sites, A Compendium for
    Highway Agencies" , National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 310.

2. Handbook on Insitu Treatment of Hazardous waste Contaminated soils, EPA 540/2-               
    90/002,  January, 1990.