OAKLAND (January 25, 2023) — ACC Environmental Consultants, Inc., an employee-owned full-service environmental consulting and design firm, announced on December 22 that it has acquired HydroCon, significantly adding to ACC’s environmental services business in the Pacific Northwest Region.

HydroCon, which serves throughout the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, is an environmental consulting firm that specializes in a wide range of environmental and engineering services to facilitate investigation and remediation of environmental sites. Established in 2014 the HydroCon team adds over a dozen highly experienced environmental professionals, that complement ACC’s existing group of professional consultants. Combining our experience in four locations Vancouver, Longview and Seattle, Washington and Bend, Oregon) expands ACC’s reach throughout the West.    

“ACC is so excited to bring such a high quality organization as HydroCon into the ACC family of employee owners! The merging of our two companies now allows ACC the ability to provide quality environmental consulting services throughout the Pacific Northwest.” 

-Mark A. Sanchez, President/CEO of ACC Environmental Consultants, Inc

On December 22, ACC Environmental announced a definitive agreement to acquire HydroCon, a transaction that closed on January 1, 2023. The combined company, including HydroCon, makes us a full-service environmental consulting and design provider with more than 45 employees in 6 different states.

“The entire staff at HydroCon Environmental is excited to be expanding our environmental services as well as our geographical area with a parent company that has the same core values and goals as us.” 

– David Borys, President of HydroCon  

About ACC Environmental Consultants, Inc. 

Established in 1986, ACC Environmental Consultants, Inc. (ACC) is an employee-owned full service environmental consulting and design firm recognized for its excellent and reliable client service.

ACC’s mission is to assist in the management of environmental and health & safety issues for corporations, state and local governments, universities, school districts, hospitals, housing authorities, residential developers, financial and insurance firms, research and bio-tech facilities and manufacturers. We work to provide sound, timely and cost-effective solutions to meet our clients’ goals by facilitating the management of liabilities and regulations and maintaining a suitable working environment. 

ACC maintains one of the most qualified and experienced staffs in the state of California and is now servicing the Seattle, Washington and surrounding regions.  Our experience in large-scale community-sensitive projects is deep and ongoing. We utilize project management best practices, state of the art equipment and our own innovative data gathering software systems to assist our clients in accomplishing their near and long-term hazardous materials and industrial hygiene compliance programs goals. 

ACC’s Staff Includes:

• Professional Geologists
• Environmental Professionals
• Certified Industrial Hygienists
• Indoor Air Quality Specialists
• Certified Asbestos Professionals
• Certified Lead-based Paint Professionals        
• Certified Hazardous Materials Managers

Our Core Services Include:

• Asbestos and Lead-Based Paint Testing and Consulting
• Silica Dust Monitoring and Exposure Control Plans
• Hazardous Material Consulting Services (including PCBs)
• Industrial Hygiene and Health and Safety Consulting 
• Phase I/II Environmental Site Assessments
• Soil Profiling for Disposal and/or Re-Use Purposes
• Site Characterization (Soil, Groundwater, & Soil Vapor)
• Work Plan Preparation and Implementation
• Indoor Air Sampling Related to Subsurface Contamination
• Environmental Health and Safety Plans
• Soil and Groundwater Management Plans 
• Regulatory Agency Interaction 
• Indoor Environmental Quality Testing and Consulting
• LEED Environmental Testing and Certification
• Water Intrusion and Mold Inspections
• OSHA Employee Training – Asbestos, EPA Lead RRP,OSHA 30 Silica, Mold 
• Hazardous Chemical Materials Inventory Management and Business Plans

About HydroCon

HydroCon’s technical service delivery qualifications are diverse.  Due to the decades of our individual professionals’ experience and their combined hundreds of years of experience, our technical service delivery lines are extensive.  Our numerous geologic, engineering, and science categories of environmental consulting capabilities include:

Environmental Property Due Diligence: Phase I & II Environmental Site Assessments Hazardous Building Material Surveys (Lead & Asbestos) Brownfields and Site Redevelopment Environmental Impact Studies Environmental Remediation: Remedial Investigation & Feasibility Studies (RI/FS) Remedial Design, Construction Oversight, and Operations & Maintenance Groundwater Fate & Transport Modeling Regulatory Compliance Ecological Assessments   Facility Operations: Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures Plans (SPCCs) Stormwater Management, Design, Analysis (including SWPPP and AKART), and Sampling Erosion and Sediment Control Plans (ESCPs) and Site Inspections NPDES Permits UST Decommissioning & Closure LUST Removal and Cleanup   Infrastructure and Vertical Construction Support: Waste Characterization & Disposal Contaminated Waste Management Plans Hazardous Materials Corridor Studies Environmental Construction Management Planning and Zoning   Supplemental Services: Litigation and Insurance Claim Support Forensic Chemistry Toxicological Evaluations CAD Drafting & Design Emergency Spill Response

HydroCon’s qualifications and ability to deliver diverse high quality technical services is the result of the extensive experience and expertise of our professional staff, which includes:

Professional/Licensed/Registered:

• Geologists
• Hydrogeologists
• Engineers
• Geological Engineers
• Environmental Scientists
• Chemists
• Toxicologists
• HOT Supervisors
• AHERA Inspectors
• Groundwater Modelers
• Field Technicians
• Analytical Forensics Fingerprinting Experts
• Cost Estimators
• Database Managers
• CAD Draftsmen

HydroCon’s broad range of well qualified professionals from licensed/registered senior geologists, engineers, and hydrogeologists to seasoned field technicians enables HydroCon to deliver a full spectrum of environmental consulting services.  The extensive experience of our staff more specifically includes managing and performing: soil, sediment, groundwater, surface water, sediment, air, and soil gas environmental sampling and monitoring for diverse contaminants related to CERCLA, RCRA, MTCA, TSCA, UST, LUST and other regulated sites; contaminated media management including IDW testing and disposal; and environmental oversight and field monitoring/verification sampling during construction projects at known and suspected contaminated sites.  

Our HydroCon project team members have substantial understanding, knowledge, and experience with federal, state, and local regulations and guidance necessary to execute these projects in an efficient, beneficial, and compliant manner.  For example, on our UST and LUST projects, HydroCon’s professionals are well versed in applicable regulations, specifically in Washington: Chapter 173-360 WAC for USTs and Chapter 173-340 WAC associated with the extensive Model Toxics Control Act regulations.  In addition, our regulatory expertise in Oregon includes: OAR 340-163 regarding HOT registration and licensing of Service Supervisors & Service Providers; OAR 340-160 regarding Service Providers licensing for non-residential regulated tanks; OAR 340-122 regarding releases and remediation for regulated Leaky Underground Storage Tanks (LUST); OAR 340-150 regarding UST rules, especially gas station systems; and the recently promulgated (January 2016) Oregon residential HOT rules for decommissioning through cleanup.  

ACC performs Phase I & II ESAs on behalf of all parties in real estate transactions including buyers, sellers, investors, and lenders. To ensure our work meets the highest standards, ACC follows the industry recognized ASTM guidelines (ASTM e1527-13 and -21 and the Federal EPA All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) standard) and our process includes investigating site histories, reviewing regulatory and database records, and conducting a site visit and interviews.

Here are a few benefits of having ACC review previous environmental reports: 

• ACC can provide confidence that the conclusions reached in a report are appropriate for the planned use of a property.
• ACC can assist clients by attesting to the thoroughness of a previous Phase I ESA and determine that all steps of the report were completed properly.
• ACC can assess report conclusions so that clients can be confident they are not spending the time and money on unnecessary work.

A properly completed Phase I ESA complies with the most current ASTM standard and reports should be completed in accordance with not only the previous standard from 2013, but the most recent from 2021. Some of the regulations from the previous ASTM E1527-13 standard have become more specific in the ASTM E1527-21 standard lending to the importance of having a report that complies with both. 

Some consultants will have Phase I ESAs completed by new hires under strict budgets that may cause time constraints which allow for a misinterpretation of historical information that could lead to a missed Recognized Environmental Condition (REC). A missed REC can open up a client to significant risk. ACC can provide review of reports by an experienced Environmental Professional defined by ASTM regulations who can review a report to determine if it complies with the standard and provides adequate CERCLA protections. 
To receive a Phase I ESA quote or to learn more on how ACC can address your property’s environmental needs,
Click here.

The wet season has arrived on the West Coast, as precipitation rates are likely to rise over the next 10 days or so. Water and moisture intrusion is a serious concern. It can result in significant physical damage to buildings which requires expensive repair and remediation efforts. 

According to a report by Zurich American Insurance Company, “water intrusion is one of the leading property damage risks associated with new construction and renovation projects.” By researching their claims experience from 2007 through 2016, Zurich found “nearly 50% of all Builders Risk claims resulted from some form of weather or escape-of-water event”.  “A water damage event can range from rainstorms and snow-melt, to flooding and hurricanes, as well as damage from internal water-carrying systems, such as plumbing and sprinkler systems.” White Cap Resource Center: Water Intrusion: The Contractor’s Most Expensive Enemy, Rick Yelton,

Water intrusion can cause costly damage in many ways. For example, in October 2021, during the atmospheric river event, a large modular construction housing project flooded and caused major damage for one of ACC’s client. At that time, ACC was able to assist with the restoration of this project, which took over seven months and a staggering cost of multi-million dollars.

By taking preventive steps and developing a plan for responding to moisture intrusions you can mitigate or even prevent a significant impact to operations.
Contact Us to discuss water intrusion concerns

Even in the absence of an intrusion event, it can still be extremely valuable to measure baseline conditions to establish parameters for a clean building.  These values can be used as cleaning goals in the future in the event water intrusion does occur.

Prevention and Planning

Quick steps that can be taken to help minimize the chances of water intrusions include:

• Always be aware of weather conditions anticipated for the worksite location and time of year.
• For new construction ensure temporary protective measures are adequate to withstand severe weather events. 
• Inspect and clean-out roof drains and gutters to insure they are working properly.

​Read the full list of steps on ACC’s Blog
Have a plan to respond to water intrusions that is scalable. Large and complicated water intrusions are best left to professionals. Smaller intrusions may be handled in-house with properly trained personnel and the appropriate equipment. Here are some important considerations:

• Develop a written response plan, train key personnel and review regularly. If an in-house response team is established, it is important to understand its limitations and establish strict criteria for calling in professional support.

Read the full list of considerations on ACC’s Blog

Large Scale Water Intrusion

In the event that water Intrusion occurs, the number one priority is to find out 

where the water is coming from and stop the leak or leaks.  If you have a flood try to extract the water out as soon as possible and depending on the size call a remediation contractor to help with the drying process.  Alert your insurance carrier immediately, so they can send over an agent as soon as possible. Take as many pictures as you can to verify to water intrusion issues.  

Wet drywall is the number one cause of mold in a new building.  In most cases its prudent to contact an environmental consultant to help with documenting and determining the extent of water damage.  A trained inspector using an infrared camera and moisture meter can determine what wallboard should be removed and what can be saved. Mold can start grow in as little as 24-hours, so starting the dry down process immediately along with the removal of wet building material is critical.  Once mold starts growing you will need to contain these areas similar to asbestos abatement projects, which could double or triple cleanup costs.  

Some tips for drying out large areas…Read the full article and tips on ACC’s Blog.
Contact Us to learn more on how ACC can meet your environmental needs.

Meeting recording:

At any time, access ACC’s free virtual panel discussion with our experts, Industrial Hygiene and Safety Manager, Chris Corpuz, and Certified Industrial Hygienist, Michael Burrows.

Discussion Topics

Steps to managing air quality concerns for buildings and facilities safety

Proactive and Preventative Considerations to maintain a safe and healthy office environment

Navigating ever-changing COVID-19 safety regulations and implementing best practices to meet the highest level of workplace safety

Meeting Recording:

ACC’s second free webinar discussing how to create a safe and healthy workplace during the wildfire season.  ACC’s Certified Industrial Hygiene experts; Industrial Hygiene and Safety Manager, Chris Corpuz, and Industrial Hygiene Project Manager, Michael Burrows will discuss potential workplace hazards and planning tools and resources.

Discussion Topics

• Potential Hazards and how they may appear in your workplace
• Statewide Wildfire Recovery Services
• California Business Portal
• Workplace Safety Planning
• 5 Steps to Prepare your Business for Disaster

Our panel shared their experiences managing these topics and discuss the best safety management plans and policies to ensure the safest environment for your employees.  

Interested in setting up a BrownBag virtual training for your team on one of these topics or other Environmental areas, Contact Us to learn more.

Wildfire Smoke Webinar II: 
Protecting Your Employees
 

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 22nd, at 11 AM for ACC’s second free webinar discussing how to create a safe and healthy workplace during the wildfire season.  ACC’s Certified Industrial Hygiene experts; Industrial Hygiene and Safety Manager, Chris Corpuz, and Industrial Hygiene Project Manager, Michael Burrows will discuss potential workplace hazards and planning tools and resources.

Discussion Topics

• Potential Hazards and how they may appear in your workplace
• Statewide Wildfire Recovery Services
• California Business Portal
• Workplace Safety Planning
• 5 Steps to Prepare your Business for Disaster

Our panel will share their experiences managing these topics and discuss the best safety management plans and policies to ensure the safest environment for your employees.  

There will be an opportunity to ask the panel questions throughout the discussion as well as submit questions upon registration.  
Time 

June 22, 2021 11:00 AM in Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Not Available to Attend this Webinar?  Recording will be posted on our Blog.
CONTACT US to discuss your Wildfire Planning questions and how it relates to your Company’s Workplace.

ACC’s team is also available to host virtual Brown Bag presentations for your team.

---

Meet the Panelists

Michael (Mike) Burrows, MS, CIH
Board-Certified Industrial Hygienist | Industrial Hygiene Project Manager
mburrows@accenv.com | Cell: (818) 640-7946

Mike is the newest member of ACC Environmental Consultant’s team. Mr. Burrows recently joined ACC in 2021 as a full time, in-house, project manager.

Mike has over 10 years of experience as a Health and Safety professional and has worked with clients from both the public and private sector. He has assisted with creation and implementation of formal policies/ procedures, risk recognition and solution strategies, training at all employee levels from frontline to management and safety marketing.  Mike’s specialties include industrial hygiene, environmental protection and project management, training and education, and interfacing between businesses and governmental agencies to meet local, state and federal expectations.  

Chris Corpuz, MS, CIH, CAC
Board-Certified Industrial Hygienist | Industrial Hygiene and Safety Manager
ccorpuz@accenv.com | (510) 638-8400 x 119

Mr. Corpuz joined ACC in 2018 and is a part-time, in-house, senior technical staff member. Chris has over 37 years as a Health and Safety professional and has provided Expert Witness services on numerous health and safety-related cases.  

Mr. Corpuz has several years of experience providing all aspects of Hazardous Material Management projects: local, national, and global. He has participated on numerous professional industry boards and maintains current knowledge of Local, State and Federal regulations related to the Industrial Hygiene and Safety Industry.

Topic: “Health Hazards of Wildfire Smoke — Managing Employee Exposure”
Date: May 11, 2021 10:29 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Meeting Recording: