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MARCOR Remediation Cleans Up Rampant Mold Growth at New California Hotel
Leaking plumbing system led to serious problems
11/9/2004–San Leandro, CA–A new, 135-room residential-style hotel complex in Northern California experiencing rampant mold growth due to problems in its plumbing system recently underwent extensive mold remediation completed by MARCOR Remediation, Inc., a national environmental services company.
Just a few months after opening in 2003, the hotel’s plumbing system developed many leaks associated with shower pans, sink drains, main supply lines, and other areas involving connections to the main water supply. In addition, the main sewer line system underneath the building slab had begun to disconnect. “It soon became apparent that the original plumbing contactor had made many errors and that extensive mold growth was the result,” said MARCOR Regional Manager Blaine Frost, CMR. “That’s when we were contracted to perform the remediation.”
Not only was MARCOR’s San Leandro, CA, office charged with handling the remediation, and rebuilding where necessary, the company also was also required to do so in the most discreet way possible while the building was occupied. “Our staff had to maintain a most professional demeanor at all times,” he said.
Over a one-year period, MARCOR set up containment structures within unoccupied units and in certain hallway corridors, then began removing microbial contamination that was visibly apparent through the hotel units. A total of 65 units, as well as many hallway areas, were affected. In many instances, MARCOR was required to perform interior demolition of certain contaminated building components, followed by reconstruction services.
The initial mold remediation work led to other related projects at the upscale, all-suite hotel for MARCOR. It was found, for example, that several occupied units had drains backing up. A plumber with a televised scope determined that the underground sewer drain system was beginning to disconnect. MARCOR was contracted to core drill through the concrete slab, assess the methane and hydrogen sulfide amounts (the hotel was built on a landfill), saw-cut through the concrete slab within the areas where the drains were backing up, and excavate up to the drains. “We’re proud to say that MARCOR performed this service in a potentially lethal environment without any safety violations,” Frost said.
Frost noted that a full investigation found that many hangars that should have secured the original sewer drain pipes were not installed, leading to the plumbing problems. All building inspections conducted by the city’s building department after MARCOR’s work was completed passed during the first rounds. More information about the hotel mold remediation project can be obtained by calling Pete Mandel, CMRS, in MARCOR’s San Leandro office at 510-632-9440.
MARCOR Remediation, Inc., a specialty contracting company founded in 1980 with headquarters in Hunt Valley, MD, performs a full range of services, which include mold remediation, industrial cleaning, asbestos and lead hazard abatement, building decontamination, plant/process decommissioning and demolition, soil and groundwater remediation, emergency spill response, disaster recovery, gun range remediation and storage tank management. Clients include government agencies, industrial hygienists, environmental consultants, real estate development and property management firms, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT), the hospitality industry, educational institutions, health care facilities, and others. Each of the company’s 16 offices is staffed with the necessary mix of senior technical management, regulatory compliance experts and experienced HAZMAT labor force. The company celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2005. For additional information, go to www.marcor.com, send an e-mail to info@marcor.com or call the corporate headquarters at 800-547-0128.
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