ERI Environmental Resolutions

Steve M. Zigan, RG, HG
CEO

Mr. Zigan has 27 years of experience in geology and hydrogeology. His expertise includes geology, hydrogeology, hazardous waste investigations, contaminant transport analyses, and soil and groundwater remediation. He has managed site cleanups and reconstruction projects of up to $3 million in value and served as the Registered Geologist for more than 400 projects involving monitoring well installations, performing and evaluating pump drawdown tests, and designing and installing treatment systems. He has obtained permits and negotiated with a majority of the Regional Water Quality Control Boards in California. He also managed six separate on-site investigations and remediation of chlorinated and nonchlorinated organic-bearing soil. Remediation methods included excavation and disposal and vapor extraction using carbon absorption and thermal incineration. He successfully negotiated with the California Department of Health Services and the Los Angeles Fire Department for closure on five of the six areas. The sixth area is continuing remediation.

Mr. Zigan has served as the Registered Geologist for investigations at multiple state Superfund sites. Tasks included determining stratigraphy and distribution of contaminants; evaluating and reporting on local and site-specific hydrology; determining groundwater gradients, transmissivity, and conductivity; and negotiating with State Department of Health Services.

Mr. Zigan also serves as an expert witness for reviewing past work, evaluating appropriateness of actions, making recommendations, and giving depositions.

Joseph E. O'Connell, ScD, PE
President

Mr. O'Connell has 36 years of professional experience. His expertise includes chemical processes, critical path analysis, design, permitting, and remediation.

He has been project manager for remediation of an operating oil blending plant. A major issue was to plan and schedule contaminant delineation and remediation without disrupting daily production. Work included installation of shoring, excavation, and disposal of oily soil. Remediation was conducted in the street and under railroad tracks, as well as on the plant itself.

He has also been the Principal Engineer for designing, permitting, installing, and operating numerous remediation systems. Systems installed include on-site air sparging, vacuum extraction, pump and treat, shoring and excavation, bioremediation, and fixation. Treatments of extracted vapors include thermal incineration and carbon absorption. Contaminants range from chlorinated hydrocarbons to gasoline-range hydrocarbons to metals. Work included cost analysis, soil modeling, prediction of extraction time, on-site setup, and final confirmation borings.

Mr. O'Connell also performs work such as a profitability analysis for a major steel mill. His focus was on yield improvement and waste minimization, and work included a polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) survey, waste classification, and a yield study.

Keith A. Romstad, RG, LH, REA II
Vice President/Chief Operations Officer

Mr. Romstad has 20 years of experience conducting environmental investigations. He has specialized in assessment of soil and groundwater and remedial investigations including conducting groundwater pumping tests and evaluating pumping test data, performing groundwater modeling, and bioremediating soil, vapor streams, and groundwater. He has experience in carrying out all aspects of environmental geologic investigations, from developing programs, handling logistics for drilling and sampling operations, and acting as a liaison between the client and governmental agencies, to developing and observing cleanup activities for soil and groundwater containing petroleum hydrocarbons.

Mr. Romstad has served as a Program Manager and Branch Manager for major petroleum companies in the western United States for 12 years and additionally as a Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for 3 years. In this capacity, he has been responsible to clients for ensuring that all work in various offices is performed in an appropriate manner and at a consistently high level of quality.

Mr. Romstad has provided technical evaluation and planning of future liability costs for portfolios up to approximately 130 properties. He has assisted in cost allocation, global "buyout" of liability, and transfer of management between major oil companies and has been a testifying expert in cost allocation disputes submitted to binding arbitration. The disputes involved allegations of new petroleum releases at properties since transfer of property. He provided technical evaluation of fate and transport issues and allocation of assessment and remediation costs.

Robert L. Kroeger, MBA
Vice President/Chief Financial Officer

Mr. Kroeger has 14 years of experience conducting environmental investigations. He has strong experience in engineering system design, construction management, installation and inspection of electrical and piping systems, feasibility and treatability studies, soil and groundwater remediation, and remedial technology evaluation.

He has specialized in assessment of soil and groundwater and remedial investigations, including remediation system installation, system operation and maintenance, and site closure. He has experience in carrying out all aspects of environmental investigations including developing programs, handling logistics for drilling and sampling operations, acting as a liaison between clients and governmental agencies, and developing and observing cleanup activities for soil and groundwater containing petroleum hydrocarbons.

Mr. Kroeger has been Branch Manager/Operations Manager for the Southern California offices of consulting and contracting firms. He has supervised more than 35 engineers, geologists, and field technicians; has been responsible for overall project staffing and scheduling for the office; and has been responsible for proposal preparation, estimating, and material take-offs. He has also been quality team leader for an environmental engineering office of 165 people and responsible for managing the quality improvement process for the office. He is experienced in client and regulatory negotiations and contract and program management and has managed commercial, municipal, and federal contracts as a project and a program manager.