HEPACO

HEPACO is an environmental and emergency response contractor founded in 1984, with roots in the Carolinas and headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company reports more than 1,000 employees working from over 40 service centers across the Eastern United States, with a national network of teaming partners extending support nationwide. Work spans emergency spill response, industrial services, waste management and site remediation, provided individually or run concurrently on phased projects.

The footprint has grown through six acquisitions since 2017. Those include the Field Services Division of Summit Environmental Services of Evansville, Indiana, acquired in 2021, and Environmental Management Alternatives, whose integration was completed in 2022.

Emergency response

A manned hotline runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year, routing calls through a single dispatch center. Incidents covered include releases at transportation facilities, industrial facilities, ports, utilities and energy facilities, along with releases on roadways, railways, pipelines and waterways including lakes, rivers and tributaries.

Situations handled include:

• Derailments and damaged goods
• Pipeline releases and roadside spills
• Leaking containers and leaking transformers
• Abandoned wastes
• Natural disasters

Spill work runs from containment through closure, covering secondary containment, containment booms and sorbent media, product recovery and transfer, siphon dam installation, waste characterization, transport and disposal of contaminated soils, site restoration to pre-spill conditions, and post-cleanup documentation. Specialized equipment and materials are used for spills of all levels and types, including mercury.

HEPACO holds an Oil Spill Removal Organization classification (OSRO #32) throughout its operating footprint, based on equipment and response time standards in the US Coast Guard OSRO Classification Guidelines. Facilities that maintain a Facility Response Plan can list the company as first responder.

Industrial and waste services

• Tank cleaning, decommissioning and demolition
• Hydro-excavation, air knifing, hydroblasting and line jetting
• Product transfer and temporary storage
• Confined space entry and rescue teams
• Vacuum truck, tanker and roll-off truck services
• Waste characterization, containerization, transport and disposal, including drum waste milk runs

A wastewater treatment facility is operated as part of the waste business. In-house fabrication technicians customize proprietary tooling and mobile operating systems to suit market and customer specific requirements.

Remediation

• Site remediation, plus hazardous soil and groundwater treatment
• Fuel station cleanup and underground storage tank removal
• Brownfield and landfill remediation
• Pit, pond and lagoon remediation
• Wetland, stream and channel restoration
• Abatement of lead, asbestos and mold
• Gas and vapor barrier installation, and sheet piling

Storage tank remediation projects often include associated soil and groundwater components.

Marine services

Maritime capability covers OSRO coverage and compliance, over-the-water liquid and sludge transfers, vessel booming, marine tank cleaning, vessel riding crews, average most probable discharge (AMPD) coverage, and bilge and slop tank pump outs. In 2022 the company received a BAE Systems Partner2Win Gold Award for supporting repair and modernization projects aboard more than 30 naval and commercial vessels.

Training and contractor qualification

Personnel receive 40-hour HAZWOPER training with annual eight-hour refreshers, alongside RCRA, DOT, confined space entry, respiratory protection and first aid/CPR instruction. Full-time health and safety staff include a Certified Industrial Hygienist and Certified Safety Professionals, and the company reports top quartile Total Recordable Incident Rate performance for NAICS code 562910.

Industry-specific qualifications include:

• E-RailSafe and Advanced Rail Car Specialist
• Tank Car Specialist and FRA Roadway Worker Training
• API WorkSafe and API Tank Entry Supervisor
• SafeLand
• Pipeline Operator Qualification
• Loss Prevention System

Approved contractor status is maintained with the ISNetworld, CCS, PEC Premier, Avetta and BROWZ contractor screening consortiums.