17 AUGUST 2025 WorldWide Drilling Resource® A Civil and Environmental Engineering Project Adapted from Information by Georgia Institute of Technology The Blue Whale Solutions team clinched the award for the top Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) project at the spring 2025 Capstone Design Expo. Their innovative project focused on soil vapor extraction for the Velsicol Chemical Corp. Superfund Site located in Toone, Tennessee, earning them a prize of $1000. Competing against three other teams in the CEE category, Blue Whale Solutions showcased their work amid a record-setting 238 teams comprised of 1300 students, all presenting their semester-long projects as a highlight of their undergraduate education. The projects encompassed a diverse range of topics, including environmental remediation, pedestrian bridge design, dam restoration, and sustainable construction, representing the talents from four of Georgia Tech’s Colleges. Blue Whale Solutions consists of civil engineering major William Caldwell, along with environmental engineering students Rebecca Chapman, Hudson McGaughey, and Melanie Reveron. They were guided by Professor of the Practice, Sharon Just. The project received sponsorship from Ramboll and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Velsicol Chemical Corp. Superfund Site is listed on the EPA’s National Priority List. From 1964 to 1973, the Velsicol Chemical Corp. operated a landfill at the location, where approximately 200,000 drums of pesticide manufacturing waste were buried in trenches. Consequently, the site is contaminated with around ten million pounds of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (cVOCs). The team created a soil vapor extraction system specifically for the largest disposal area at the site. Their design involves planning a well field layout, addressing both vertical and horizontal configurations, as well as conceptualizing a treatment system. This design encompasses various components, flow dynamics, and estimated treatment timelines, all aimed at achieving a remediation goal of reducing cVOCs concentration by 97%. Professor Just, the team’s advisor, commended the students for their resilience in overcoming the setback of having their site visit canceled. This cancelation occurred due to unexpectedly high levels of organic contaminations discovered during drilling at the site. “Despite these challenges, the team came together to design all major components for the extraction and treatment system, providing a long-term solution that will not only treat the vadose zone but thereby also reduce contaminant levels in the groundwater,” Just said. Chapman shows a model of the soil vapor extraction system to a Capstone visitor. Photo courtesy of Michael Hunter. ENV
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDk4Mzk=