Environmental services

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Disaster Response and COVID-19

SSCI’s team of professionals including industrial hygienists, safety professionals, biologists, and engineers have experience in disaster response and recovery including emergency response for natural disasters and catastrophes.

Our services include Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) compliant programs.

Our team members have performed as Incident Commanders for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and EPA response for Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike and Harvey in Texas and Louisiana as well as for many tornado debris responses in Oklahoma.

Our team has performed emergency response for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) including response activities including hurricanes, floods, and the Columbia Space Shuttle Cleanup.

Our services are available through multiple purchasing cooperatives including HGACBuy’s Emergency Preparedness & Disaster Recovery.

COVID-19 Services

  • Facility Health and Safety Plans.
  • Development of Cleaning Protocols.
  • Emergency Response and Training.
  • Cleaning Oversight.
  • Site Clearance.

 

 

March 19, 2020 Community, Environmental services, Safety, , 0 Read more >

Phase I ESA Services

IMMEDIATE AVAILABILITY

RUSH TURN AROUND WITH NO FEE

COMPETITIVE PRICING

ASTM AND AAI COMPLIANT

SSCI’s approach to risk audits and Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) assures sounds, reliable findings and cost-effective solutions.  SSCI has over thirty years of experience in Phase I, Phase II, and other environmental services.  SSCI is experienced in HUD grants, GLO grants, and SBA loans.  Our staff has set a professional standard in the industry and conducts investigations in accordance with the standard practice of ASTM E 1527-13.  With offices in Texas and Louisiana, SSCI can respond quickly to your ESA needs.

EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS

  •  Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, ASTM E 1527-13 and AAI
  •  Phase II ESAs, ASTM E1903-97
  •  Transaction Screens, ASTM E1528-14e1
  •  Property Condition Assessments
  •  Inspections:  Asbestos, Lead-Based Paint and Mold, Vapor Intrusion, Indoor Radon
  •  Remediation, Abatement and Decontamination
  •  Natural Resources:  Wetlands and Threatened and Endangered Species
  •  NEPA Considerations:  Categorical Exclusions, Environmental Assessments, Environmental Impact Statements

We specialize in serving the public and private sector!

General Site Inspection

     Review of Site Records and Activities

Regulatory Records Research

Title and Historical Records Search

Initial Facility/Site Assessments

Oversight of Remediation Contractors

Individual Interviews

Geological Evaluation

Asbestos and Lead-Based Paint Surveys

Extended Records Review

Detailed Land Use Evaluation

On-site Sampling and Analysis of Soil

Water and Building Material Sampling

Operations Review

March 19, 2020 Company news, Environmental services, Industry news, , 0 Read more >

Brays Bayou Greenway Bridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SSCI is pleased to announce our part in the opening of a new Bridge on Brays Bayou as part of the massive $220 million undertaking to connect Houston’s parks and turn 3,000 acres into public green space.

SSCI performed the environmental services for this bridge being opened, as well as the United States Army Core of Engineers (USACE) permitting, United States Coast Guard (USCG) coordination, and TxDOT environmental review.

Please consider SSCI for any of your  Environmental, Engineering or Construction needs.

View our Services!

March 6, 2020 Company news, Environmental services, , 0 Read more >

BACREN Presentation: Mitigating Wetlands

   SSCI-Environmental is pleased to have had the opportunity to speak at the Bay Area Commercial Real Estate Network (BACREN) Monthly Luncheon on February 20, 2020.  BACREN is a non-profit professional organization formed to serve Commercial Real Estate practitioners, associated businesses, investors, and the public in the Houston Bay Area, including but not limited to Harris, Galveston, and Brazoria Counties, Texas.  SSCI-Environmental has been a long time sponsor and supporter of BACREN.  SSCI’s Vice President, Jo Drake Keim, and Natural Resource Specialist, Allyson Graziano, presented the ins and outs of wetland mitigation for the real estate market.  The audience of real estate specialists and service contractors were intrigued and found the presentation to be informative and enlightening.  May attendees had questions regarding their specific projects and how wetland regulations affect development of their properties.

Wetlands are protected under the Clean Water Act and development of properties containing Wetlands or Waters of the United States (WOTUS) are regulated by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  SSCI provided an overview of how wetlands are identified and what tools are used in evaluating wetlands for real estate developers.  Delineations, permitting, agency coordination, and mitigation was discussed. A link to the BACREN presentation is provided below:

Wetlands Presentation BACREN 02-2020 v2

March 3, 2020 Community, Environmental services, , , , , , 0 Read more >

Global Recycling Day

March 18, 2019 is Global Recycling Day!

SSCI will be doing its share of recycling and waste reduction in the office environment. SSCI reuses copy paper as much as possible for internal use, and we have a designated recycling bin for paper and plastics. Plastic or Styrofoam coffee cups have been replaced by ceramic mugs in the common area to reduce waste all year round. Other ways to make the office environment greener include bringing your own lunch to work in a reusable container to reduce waste and utilizing paper clips in lieu of staples. These seemingly small actions really add up over the course of a year.

Recycling at home does not require much effort, and separating recyclables is easy. Many refuse providers offer recycling pick up with garbage collection. Otherwise, dropping off recyclables at the nearest center can be a wonderful teaching moment for the next generation. Reusable shopping bags are one of the best ways to reduce plastic waste, and some stores, like Target, offer the incentive of a small discount for using them. Even if one uses plastic grocery bags, they can be brought back to large chain stores, like Walmart or HEB, where bins are provided to accept clean plastic bags to be recycled. One globally recognized day of conservation can be the start of educating the masses on the importance of recycling everyday thereafter. Click here to find a recycling center near you.

March 18, 2019 Community, Environmental services, , 0 Read more >

SSCI Job Timeline: Culvert Construction

SSCI provided maintenance activities to a damaged culvert owned by an HOA located in Dickinson, Texas (Site) where existing articulated concrete blocks (ACBs) were uplifted and separated during a Hurricane Harvey.  This caused the subgrade to be eroded and a large hole to form at the base of the culvert. SSCI was able to mobilize quickly and efficiently to solve the problem.  The work involved designing a new, more effective culvert layout that would significantly reduce erosion during large rain events.

The following construction services were also completed during the remediation:

  • Pumping of standing water in the washout area;
  • Replacement of soil and re-grading of subgrade slope;
  • Salvage and placement of ACBs onto subgrade;
  • Placement of inlet and piping;
  • Paving of high-flow areas in the culvert to reduce erosion.

A final post-repair visit to the Site was conducted to ensure the satisfaction of the HOA and replace ACBs in an aesthetically pleasing pattern. The HOA continues to work with SSCI on other detention pond, erosion, and maintenance activities.  SSCI finished the work ahead of schedule even after being impacted by weather-related delays.

October 2, 2018 Community, Company news, Environmental services, Industry news, , , 0 Read more >

League City Historical Society Dinner-2018

SSCI was in attendance at the annual League City Historical Living History Society’s Dinner;  this year’s theme was “The Great War” (World War I). The Society is a non-profit organization that promotes and preserves the history of League City, Texas. It’s annual Living History Dinner is a fundraiser SSCI has supported for over a decade; proceeds benefit historical society projects like the “One-Room School House” and the West Bay Area Common School Children’s Museum. This year, the Silent Auction featured fine art by local artists, basket prizes and vintage architecture items; I won a special pet gift basket that included grooming services, shampoo and pet treats.
It was a sight to behold at Butler’s Courtyard as Historical Society members dressed in period costume, and the historical guest speaker Jeffery Hunt spoke as a soldier of the 36th Infantry Division (Texas National Guard). Mr. Hunt reminded us of the values created in the past, and what Americans have overcome as a state and as a country to get where we are today. The guest speaker closed thoughtfully from a WWI soldier’s point of view by asking the audience to remember what a great tragedy The Great War was, and his hopes that the devastation caused in its wake would not be repeated in the future. The audience was left to reflect on the fact that World War II would begin just 21 years later. For more information please visit the LCHS website:http://leaguecityhistory.org/

August 28, 2018 Community, Environmental services 0 Read more >

2018 SSCI Company Picnic

 

SSCI’s Annual Company Picnic was good, clean fun for our employees, their families, and friends. Every year the SSCI team gathers like family at Hodges’ Ranches for home-cooking and camaraderie. The occasion also gave the SSCI team a chance to get to know our newest team members on a more personal level. Office interactions become easier when employees find something in common with one another, and working relationships benefit by the acceptance of employees and their respective families It humanize those we see around the office and pays tribute to a more traditional form of social networking.The SSCI team and their respective families all came together in the relaxing environment, and the favorite activities among the kids included swimming and feeding horses.  Today, companies that organize family events are more likely to retain employees by investing in time spent with them outside of work to cultivate loyalty to the organization. In other words, the atmosphere creates a feeling of recognition and appreciation for employees and unites people with the company brand instead of chaining them to it. Like other contemporary businesses, SSCI  embraces this tradition, and the future remains bright.

July 25, 2018 Community, Company news, Environmental services, SSCI history 0 Read more >

SSCI in Support of Armand Bayou EcoCamp

Educating the public on the importance of conservation efforts is key, and what better place to start than with our community youth. As a parent, I learned that teaching kids starts at home, and environmental awareness is very important as Earth’s population continues to grow and spread. I chose to enlighten my two children at Armand Bayou Nature Center’s Summer EcoCamp. They loved it so much last year that they wanted to participate again this year.  Armand Bayou Nature center provides for children ages 4-13 programs that encourage observation, problem-solving and creativeness in the natural setting of the wetlands. ABNC EcoCamp gets kids outdoors to demonstrate how wetlands affect humans and animals by featuring hands-on activities like seining at the bayou, pond dipping, and scat identification, which is very entertaining to school-age groups. My kids enjoyed the seining most of all because they caught a snail and made it their group mascot for the day.

Wetlands along coastlands, like here in the Galveston area, are one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth because it provides a wide variety of food, nutrients, and shelter to a wide variety of indigenous plants and animals, as well as migratory birds, but public knowledge needs to be increased. Wetlands function as a giant water filter, extracting harmful pollutants from the water that flows through them.  When it rains, wetlands help prevent flooding of rivers by holding onto excess water like a sponge; during a drought, wetlands provide water to surrounding areas to keep the trees and animals alive. Wetlands are also “Biological Supermarkets” because they support so much animal and plant life that are unique to this ecosystem. Humans are impacted by wetland functions in many ways; for example, they recharge underwater aquifers, a large source of the potable water we use and drink daily.

Environmental programs, such as those at ANBC, provide a fun and educational foundation to act locally, and think globally. If you are interested in sending your child to EcoCamp or would like more information,

please visit their website:http://www.abnc.org/education/summer-ecocamp.html

July 10, 2018 Community, Environmental services, , , , , , , , , , , , , 0 Read more >