Onsite Analytical Support Following Hurricane Harvey
CSS helped EPA protect the communities affected by Hurricane Harvey from volatile and semi-volatile water contaminants.
Traveling Through a Historic Storm to Expand EPA Onsite Analytical Capacity During an Emergency
Hurricane Harvey began its historic assault on the Gulf Coast region in late August 2017. While the storm was still slowly churning across Texas and Louisiana, EPA Region 6 requested analytical support from the mobile laboratory units CSS operates for EPA. We mobilized two analytical units from Castle Rock, CO towards the requested destination of Corpus Christi, TX. However, EPA’s orders changed over the course of the next day in response to newly emerging needs. As a result, two CSS chemists flew to Corpus Christi, then drove more than five hours through heavy rain to San Antonio and then to the Region 6 laboratory in Houston before finally meeting up with the redirected mobile laboratory units. By the following day, the units were ready to receive and analyze samples, handling a total of 67 water samples and 1 soil sludge matrix from 16 different sites over a two-week period. Preliminary results were submitted to EPA within 48 hours, helping the Agency protect the affected communities from volatile and semi-volatile contaminants and speed cleanup efforts.
Additional Projects
Guiding Wildfire Response and Recovery
CSS supports communities following catastrophic wildfires to ensure that items discarded during site cleanup are properly identified, sorted, and sent to an appropriate disposal facility.
Analysis for Coastal Operational Resiliency
CSS assisted with planning and executing a demonstration of three decontamination technologies on a USCG vessel contaminated with a benign surrogate for anthrax.
Cleaning Up the National Anthrax Attack
Challenge CSS working alongside of the U. S. Centers for Disease Control characterized the extent of building contamination and subsequently determined that the entire 100,000 foot building and contents would need to be decontaminated. A novel method needed to be developed and implemented for cleaning the massive number of mail pouches, packages and artifacts destined…
Service Areas
Human Health Risk Assessment
We help advance the understanding of chemical effects on people and the environment.
Satellite Science & Environmental Intelligence
Helping create a more environmentally sustainable, weather-ready, and secure nation through application of earth observation data
Space Science Application Support & Operations
We deliver scientific support to advance our clients’ research goals.
Emergency Preparedness & Response
We help our clients prepare for and protect the health and environment of communities after disasters and hazmat releases.
Safety, Health, & Environmental Compliance
We provide our clients with tools to protect their workforce, the public, and the environment.
Environmental Resource Assessment & Management
We apply science to address challenges affecting the nation’s natural resources.
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