PETER B. ABREU, P.E.
Civil and Environmental Engineer (Principal)

Education
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Ma.
B.S. Civil Engineering, Cum Laude 1990

Professional Engineer
New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont

Professional Memberships and Associations
American Society of Civil Engineers
Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honor Society

Career Summary

Mr. Abreu is a licensed civil engineer with over fourteen years of design and construction experience. Mr. Abreu has conducted site assessments including geotechnical investigations for foundation analysis and Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessments. Mr Abreu has designed elevated steel structures for industrial clients and has designed reinforced concrete foundations for special applications in industrial and commercial environments. He has also participated in the investigation of suspected structural deficiencies.

Mr. Abreu has also designed, assembled, and maintained groundwater recovery systems including pneumatic and electrical groundwater recovery pump and treat systems. Mr. Abreu has designed and implemented soil remediation projects including soil excavation and offsite low temperature thermal desorption, and in situ bioremediation; solid waste landfills including design of vegetative cap and surface water drainage systems. Mr. Abreu has delineated petroleum spills to soil and groundwater and installation and closure of USTs and ASTs.

CAREER EXPERIENCE

Geotechnical Engineering

Laid out and implemented approximately forty-five geotechnical boring programs including over four hundred borings, interpreted standard penetration test results, consolidation test data, and similar soil test data and prepared geotechnical engineering reports and foundation analyses in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Collected and classified soil and bedrock samples using the unified soil classification system for the soils, and the rock quality designation for the bedrock. Some of the unusual site conditions that have been successfully overcome are: existing fills of variable compressibility, shallow underground mines and deep deposits of very compressible normally consolidated silt and clay. Recommended foundation types included conventional shallow foundations, compensated foundations, piles and surcharges.

Served as geotechnical engineer of record for a series of nationally known hotel properties developed in New York and Rhode Island and pharmacies in New York. Services include geotechnical explorations; recommendations for building foundations, retaining walls, pavements and stormwater management facilities; preparation of earthwork specifications; review of structural drawings and specifications for consistency with geotechnical recommendations and materials testing.

Served as geotechnical engineer of record for a series of nationally known restaurant properties developed in New York and Pennsylvania. Services include geotechnical explorations; recommendations for building foundations, retaining walls, pavements and stormwater management facilities; preparation of earthwork specifications; review of structural drawings and specifications for consistency with geotechnical recommendations and materials testing.

Designed asphaltic concrete pavement wearing and base course thickness and grade using the AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement Structures (1993) for pavement analysis and design of parking lots for above geotechnical boring programs.

Assisted in the investigation of a five-story hotel near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where problems with door alignment had been tentatively interpreted by an architect as a possible indication of foundation settlement. Examination of the building foundation and structure and of the problem doors revealed inadequate attachment of the door frames to the building walls.

Civil/Structural Engineering

Designed two heavily loaded structural steel pipe bridges 80 feet long and several shorter bridges for a large paper mill in Madison, Maine. The design included determining pipe, wind and ice loads and designing steel members and connections using allowable stress design method. The design also included bents and connections to existing structures to support the pipe bridges.

Designed steel-reinforced concrete pile cap and foundation slab to support a process tank containing 350,000 gallons of high specific gravity liquid at a large paper mill in Madison, Maine. This project required tailoring the pile cap and foundation slab design to incorporate existing in-place pilings from a previous structure. The design included determining the adequacy of the existing piles and designing the proposed foundation as a two-way slab using strength design methods according to the latest ACI code 318 .

Designed 1,600 square foot steel-reinforced concrete fueling apron to support fully loaded 80-ton off-road haul trucks at a large limestone quarry and processing facility in North Adams, Massachusetts.

Designed 18,000 square foot steel and fiber-reinforced concrete slab supporting industrial machinery and large machine parts, foundation walls and footings at a metal fabrication shop in Watervliet, New York.

Designed numerous smaller steel-reinforced concrete structures including concrete slab to support industrial generator at industrial facility in Adams, Massachusetts and residential foundation/retaining wall which supported earth slope.

Designed steel-reinforced concrete retaining wall up to 12 feet high for commercial hotel in Elmsford, New York. Retaining wall was tied-back design zero to four feet from rock face. A conventional foundation was not used at this site and the overturning moments and sliding forces were resisted by rock anchors, tie downs, and dowels.

Prepared stormwater management report for a proposed five-acre commercial facility in Latham, New York. Evaluated pre and post-development stormwater runoff volume and peak discharge rate and designed detention basin storage requirements for 10-, 25-, and 100-year storms and using TR-55 method.

Soil and Ground Water Remediation

Prepared contractor specifications, directed UST and petroleum-contaminated soil removal, and prepared closure report for commercial facility in western New York. UST removal and soil excavation was in close proximity to foundation walls and inside the facility requiring protection of the foundation to reduce potential for undermining and settlement.

Prepared construction documents and provided field direction for removal of 1000 cubic yards of petroleum-contaminated soil and installation of ground-water remediation system in western New York.

Directed data collection and analysis, and reported effectiveness of a ground-water remediation system to develop hydraulic capture at a landfill in New York. Prepared of scope of work to install a groundwater recovery system and to provide quality assurance during the installation. Prepared Remediation Plan for this landfill outlining the remedial strategy to achieve and quantify remediation of the affected aquifer.

Collected and interpreted ground-water elevation data and prepared engineering reports depicting the subsurface soils and ground-water elevations and conditions at a large RCRA facility in northern New York state. Reviewed and reported ground-water quality on a quarterly basis to evaluate contaminant concentrations in an aquifer and the effectiveness of a ground-water remediation system at the site.

Prepared work plans for enhancement of a water injection and groundwater recovery system in northern New York. Work performed required evaluation of the original system inability to maintain hydraulic control. Application of groundwater hydrology including the Theis equation, Darcy's Law and capture zone analysis and well hydraulics, and ground water chemistry (microbial growth potential and mineral precipitation on the well screen) was used to evaluate the system. Based on implementation of the study's recommendations, hydraulic control is currently being achieved through the use of the recovery system only.

Evaluated the time intervals of hydraulic control and capture zone extent of ground-water remediation system in northern New York RCRA facility. Evaluated potential for offsite migration of contaminants.

Provided bench and full-scale field testing of anionic and cationic polyacrylamides and polyamines to determine flocculation and coagulation characteristics, and effectiveness of PCB soil treatment process in western New York. The flocculation and coagulation characteristics and efficiencies were determined based upon filtration of polymers into a slurry which then passed through a centrifuge and then to settling tanks.

Solid Waste and Landfill

Investigated thickness of the vegetative soil layer at hazardous waste landfill at RCRA facility in northern New York. Laid out and supervised a soil boring program to investigate the soil thickness of a vegetative soil layer. Prepared construction specifications and drawings for soil and vegetation replacement including density requirements and specification of the vegetative cover material. Performed quality assurance inspection during repairs.

Provided layout and design of a parabolic surface water drainage collection and conveyance systems, including swales and ditches for a hazardous waste landfill caps in New York and Connecticut

Supervised placement of a clay, HDPE geomembrane cap at two hazardous waste landfills in northern New York. Involvement included obtaining “disturbed” and "undisturbed" soil samples for the characterization of physical, shear strength, and consolidation properties of soils used in the landfill cap. Obtained HDPE and geotextile samples for the characterization of physical and mechanical properties of geosynthetics used in the landfill cap.

Site Assessment

Prepared with others, a company Phase I - Environmental Site Assessments practice which is in general accordance with ASTM E1527. Performed over 30 Phase I Environmental Site Assessments in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, Maine, and New Jersey. Involvement in assessments has included all requirements outlined in ASTM E1527 including background research, field activities, and report preparation.

Additionally, performed Phase - II Environmental Assessment which included characterization and delineation of fill material, petroleum which had not been identified in initial Phase I - Environmental Site Assessment performed by others. Laid out test pit locations; obtained soil samples and waste samples for chemical and physical analytical testing for organic compounds, metals, asbestos; and prepared report.

Laid out drilling and sampling plans at sites in western and northern New York to obtain soil and ground-water samples for chemical, biological, and physical characterization to quantitatively characterize the vertical and horizontal extent of petroleum contamination and to provide information to support the identification of feasible remediation technologies. Evaluated data collected and the prepared remedial plans. Prepared contract specifications and contract drawings, including site plans, cross-sectional details of the ground-water recovery and treatment system and piping and instrumentation drawings.

Assisted in the development and implementation aquifer pump tests in western Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Collected drawdown and recovery well yield data as well as sampling of the recovery well discharge for chemical analysis. Determine the transmissivity, permeability, and storativity of the aquifer using the Theis Curve and Cooper-Jacob nonequilibrium equation.

Evaluated historical petroleum spill to soil and shallow groundwater table at a former gasoline service station in Indian Lake, New York. Prepared and implemented work plan to determine the aerial extent of contamination, maximum soil and groundwater contamination, hydraulic conductivity, soil porosity, and groundwater flow direction. Directed field activities which included advancing several soil borings and soil test pits, installation of monitoring wells, and collection of soil and groundwater samples for laboratory analysis. Submitted work plan and closure report to NYSDEC .

USTs & ASTs

Provided quality assurance review during the installation of two 20,000 gallon fuel oil underground storage tanks based on API standards and guidelines in New York. Documented proper handling and securing of the tanks to steel reinforced concrete pads, pressure testing of the interstitial space, and placement and compaction of soil backfill based on standard proctor density tests. Provided a brief written report documenting the UST installation.

Designed a spill containment wall around an above-ground storage tank. Determined concrete wall thickness, sized reinforcing steel required based on ACI guidelines, and evaluated wall stability.

Career History
Engineering Science & Subsurface Exploration, P.C. 1996 to present
Malta, NY
Civil Engineer (Principal)

Law Environmental 1990 to 1996
Albany, NY
Staff and Project Civil Engineer