Education and Professional Development

• Ph.D., Environmental Engineering, University of Houston
• M.S., Municipal Engineering, Beijing Polytechnic University
• B.S., Civil Engineering, Beijing Polytechnic University
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Training
• 40-Hour Risked Based Corrective Action Training

Registrations and Professional Affiliations

• Texas Professional Environmental Engineer #98583
• American Society of Civil Engineers
• Association of Ground Water Scientists and Engineers
• Environmental and Water Resources Institute

Summary of Professional Experience

Dr. Ling is a licensed professional engineer with 16 years of experience in environmental and municipal engineering. He holds a M.S. degree in Municipal Engineering and a Ph.D. degree in Environmental Engineering. His professional expertise includes site characterization and remediation, groundwater and non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL) modeling, visualization and litigation support, statistical and geostatistical analysis, monitoring optimization, water and wastewater engineering, and environmental software development. Dr. Ling has authored a variety of publications regarding groundwater modeling and monitoring, NAPL characterization and assessment, litigation support, and other technical issues. He is co-author of the Monitoring and Remediation Optimization System (MAROS) decision-support software developed by the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE). Dr. Ling is a frequent presenter at environmental conferences and workshops. He is a key technical resource and his responsibilities include technical consulting, litigation support, project management, and field program oversight.

Representative Experience

• Assessment, characterization, and remediation for a former gas plant site in Texas. Performed a thorough evaluation of the site hydrogeologic and contamination conditions by incorporating site data into a 3-D visual imagery model. Evaluated existing remedial actions and identified its lack of effectiveness. Conducted further characterization activities including LIF-ROST investigation, slug tests, aquifer yield tests, LNAPL baildown tests, LNAPL recovery assessment, and tracer dye testing. Revised the site conceptual model and implemented more cost-effective remedial actions towards a faster site closure.
• Assessment, characterization, and remedial evaluation for a Texas oil refinery along shoreline. Developed a 3-D visual imagery model integrating the upland area and the offshore area to study the geological, hydrological, and contamination conditions. Estimated the potential seepage risk along the shoreline through the evaluation of lithology, LNAPL thickness, dissolved concentrations, and tidal fluctuations. Identified preferential flow zones and classified the shoreline into different zones of risk. Assessed various remedial strategies and prioritized the remedial actions.
• Assessment and remediation support for petroleum hydrocarbons contamination at a diesel bulk storage facility in the San Francisco Bay Area. Developed a 3-D visual imagery model for the site and prepared presentations for client and regulatory meetings. Delineated the areal extent and depth of remediation, evaluated remedial strategies, and assisted in remedial design.
• Characterization and remediation pilot test at a natural gas compressor station in Texas. Conducted additional drilling and obtained a better understanding of the site lithology and groundwater conditions. Conducted in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) pilot test using calcium peroxide to evaluate its feasibility. Conducted tracer dye testing at new borings and existing monitoring wells to understand field transport conditions.
• Assessment, characterization, and remedial feasibility study of chlorinated solvents contamination at an Oklahoma chemical plant. Studied site data, identified data gaps for additional characterization, refined site conceptual model, and evaluated remedial options for the DNAPL source and dissolved plumes. Designed and implemented ISCO using RegenOX at a source area where excavation was not possible.
• Remedial planning for dissolved petroleum hydrocarbons contamination at an oil refinery in California. Conducted groundwater modeling to delineate zones of hydraulic influence for the placement of pumping wells and remedial systems.
• Assessment, characterization, and remediation for a former gas plant site in Texas. Performed a thorough evaluation of the site hydrogeologic and contamination conditions by incorporating site data into a 3-D visual imagery model. Evaluated existing remedial actions and identified its lack of effectiveness. Conducted further characterization activities including LIF-ROST investigation, slug tests, aquifer yield tests, LNAPL baildown tests, LNAPL recovery assessment, and tracer dye testing. Revised the site conceptual model and implemented more cost-effective remedial actions towards a faster site closure.
• Assessment, characterization, and remedial evaluation for a Texas oil refinery along shoreline. Developed a 3-D visual imagery model integrating the upland area and the offshore area to study the geological, hydrological, and contamination conditions. Estimated the potential seepage risk along the shoreline through the evaluation of lithology, LNAPL thickness, dissolved concentrations, and tidal fluctuations. Identified preferential flow zones and classified the shoreline into different zones of risk. Assessed various remedial strategies and prioritized the remedial actions.
• Assessment and remediation support for petroleum hydrocarbons contamination at a diesel bulk storage facility in the San Francisco Bay Area. Developed a 3-D visual imagery model for the site and prepared presentations for client and regulatory meetings. Delineated the areal extent and depth of remediation, evaluated remedial strategies, and assisted in remedial design.
• Feasibility study and remedial action planning of fuel oxygenates contamination (MTBE and TBA) at a service station site in California. Evaluated multiple remedial options and proposed action plans.
• Assessment of petroleum hydrocarbons contamination at an active port facility in California. Investigated preferential pathways, tidal influence, plume stability, and soil vapor issues. Demonstrated the effectiveness of site remediation through visualization and statistical analysis. Evaluated and improved the long-term monitoring program at the site.
• Development of site conceptual model for LNAPL contamination at an oil refinery in California. Assessed site characterization data, built a 3-D site visual imagery model, delineated LNAPL distribution in the subsurface, and identified preferential pathways.
• Assessment of mineral distribution in coal slurry impoundments for numerous mining sites across the nation. Estimated coal volume, quantity, and recovery progress and superseded traditional 2-D mapping with 3-D interactive imagery in presenting the results.
• Design of an interception/treatment system for groundwater remediation at a former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) site in Florida. Used groundwater modeling to determine the configuration and layout of an interceptor wall and a treatment trench.
• Assessment of sediment contamination at a harbor site in Florida and a lake site in Washington. Estimated contaminant distribution in the sediment and provided remedial calculation utilizing 3-D visualization techniques.
• Characterization, assessment, and remedial planning for various projects: LNAPL contamination at three gas plants in Texas and Minnesota, DNAPL contamination at three former MGP sites in Indiana and Florida, oil-water interaction in rock fractures at a Texas oil well field, impact of coal-bed methane at a gas well site in Kentucky, soil vapor contamination at an oil refinery site in California, and chemical contamination at two industry sites in New Jersey.

• Development of a groundwater fate and transport model for heavy metals contamination at a former fertilizer manufacturing plant site in North Carolina. The modeling effort was focused on arsenic, the more mobile and prevalent metal at the site, using MODFLOW and MT3D for flow and dual-domain transport simulations. Applied the model to refine characterization of the hydrogeologic and geochemical conditions at the site and assessed the potential for future plume migration.
• Modeling of dissolved PCBs transport resulting from soil contamination at an industrial facility in New Jersey using the AT123D analytical model. Assessed the potential migration and extent of the dissolved PCBs for different combinations of source release, hydraulic, and sorption conditions.
• Development of a groundwater fate and transport model for remedial planning at a fuel terminal site in Virginia. Used MODFLOW-SURFACT to simulate the dissolution of residual LNAPL and subsequent reactive transport in vadose and saturated zones.
• Development of a groundwater flow model for remedial evaluation at a Delaware refinery. Simulated the groundwater system in connection with a river to investigate the potential impact of a proposed 550-foot sheet pile wall along the river shoreline.
• Review of a groundwater fate and transport model for MTBE and TBA contamination at a public well field in California. Performed a thorough check of model assumptions and parameters and estimated a reasonable initial mass for use in transport simulations.
• Development of a groundwater fate and transport model to evaluate natural attenuation with source control at a dry-cleaner site in Texas. Used RT3D to simulate reductive dechlorination and conducted an uncertainty analysis to assess the reliability of model predictions.
• Development of a groundwater fate and transport model to study chlorinated solvents contamination at an industrial site in South Carolina. Conducted various modeling analyses to support site assessment and remedial design.
• Key contributor to the development of a regional groundwater flow model surrounding an oil refinery in California. Developed model boundary conditions, checked calibration targets, evaluated parameter sensitivity, and assisted in model calibration.
• Development of a groundwater flow model for the design of an interception/treatment system at a former MGP site in Florida.
• LNAPL mobility analysis and recovery calculation for a California site using various LNAPL modeling tools developed by the American Petroleum Institute (API).
• Development of a numerical NAPL model to simulate fuel hydrocarbons release and the subsurface migration at a railroad site in North Dakota. Used finite-element code BIOSLURP to simulate the LNAPL migration and extent under historical site conditions.
• Development of a numerical model with BIOSLURP to evaluate the feasibility of LNAPL removal via vacuum enhanced recovery at an Oklahoma gas plant. Evaluated a number of scenarios to find the optimal number and configuration of dual phase recovery wells.
• Development of numerical model with BIOSLURP to evaluate the feasibility of an LNAPL recovery trench design at a Washington site.
• Modeling analysis for a pipeline release in Europe to simulate the fate and transport of LNAPL and dissolved plume using finite-element codes ARMOS and BIOTRANS.
• Modeling evaluation of contaminant transport, tracer test, capture zone, and aquifer characteristics for numerous projects using analytical codes such as BIOSCREEN, BIOCHLOR, SOLUTE, WHPA, TWODAN, AQETSOLV, and HSSM.

• Technical analysis and visualization service for a California case involving gasoline and diesel release at a service station. Assessed potential past releases over the operating history and estimated the mass of the contaminants using advanced 3-D interpolation technique. Generated a set of convincing animations to present site hydrogeologic conditions, plume migration through time, and mass allocation results. This work led to a verdict in favor of the client.
• Technical analysis and visualization service for a California case regarding cost allocation for gasoline and diesel release in an industrial area. Reviewed site ownership and operating history, assessed forensic and hydrogeologic data, evaluated site data with a 3-D visual imagery model, and estimated the allocations of the contaminant mass. Also refuted a claim that some contaminant mass came from a gas station in a potential upgradient area, by comparing the spatial distribution and concentration levels of key contaminants. This is an ongoing case pending further actions.
• Technical analysis and state-of-the-art visualization service for a major litigation case in North Dakota involving fuel hydrocarbons release from a railroad site. Assessed site hydrogeology and built a 3-D visual imagery model to visualize the distribution of LNAPL in a complex geologic setting with a fluctuating water table. Conducted numerical modeling to simulate the LNAPL release and migration in the subsurface. Demonstrated that it was impossible for the LNAPL reaching a certain area of concern. The technical analyses and 3-D visualization exhibition significantly strengthened the client’s case, resulting in a verdict that saved the client tens of millions of dollars.
• Technical and visualization analyses for a Missouri case regarding a limestone quarry flooded by nearby river flow. Studied quarry operation history and water breakthrough events and investigated potential causes. Developed a 3-D visual imagery model to help understand the interrelationships between quarry operation, change in hydraulic conditions, nearby sinkhole occurrences, and water breakthrough. Demonstrated that it was the deepening and dewatering of the quarry that caused the subsurface channeling and subsequent flooding. The analysis led to a settlement in favor of the client.
• Technical and visualization support for a litigation case in Colorado where a river was impacted by former MGP derived coal tar DNAPL. Assessed site characterization data and developed a 3-D visual imagery model of the site. Investigated the petroleum hydrocarbons impact from a nearby service station. Evaluated the commingling of the DNAPL and the dissolved petroleum hydrocarbons plume. Conducted transport analysis to illustrate the change in DNAPL migration under the influence of dissolved petroleum hydrocarbons. A settlement was reached in favor of the client.
• Technical analysis and visualization service for a number of litigation cases involving methane vapor intrusion, petroleum hydrocarbons contamination, and heavy metals pollution at oil exploration, gas and chemical plants, refinery, bulk fuel terminals, and service station sites.

• Development of a statistical evaluation method for determining the frequency of sampling at monitoring locations and a geostatistical method for optimizing a monitoring network. Applied these methods to multiple sites to evaluate their groundwater monitoring programs.
• Application of appropriate statistical analyses to a groundwater monitoring program at an airport site in Washington. Client was concerned with elevated arsenic concentrations and wanted to know if they were true exceedance. Proposed intra-well analysis using combined Shewhart CUSUM Control Chart, seasonality adjustment, and verification re-sampling. Set up the protocol for statistical analysis after the project was awarded.
• Improvement on the statistical evaluation of remedial performance at a costal facility in California. Selected Sign test for site-wide comparison to address the significant percentage of non-detects in the monitoring data and replaced linear trend test with a nonparametric test.
• Statistical analysis for LNAPL investigation at an oil refinery in California. Assessed the changes in LNAPL composition over time using an altered version of Mann-Kendall analysis and revealed the difference between samples from different depths with paired t-test.
• Direction of the sediment mapping of polychlorinated biphenyls in a 6-mile river section in Washington. Problems emerged when two firms presented inconsistent results using different methods (kriging vs. IDW). Identified the cause of such differences, introduced Thiessen Polygon method for additional check, examined the goodness-of-fit by cross-validation, and directed GIS specialists on how to improve the mapping.
• Statistical analysis for compliance evaluation at a number of sites and application of geostatistical uncertainty analysis to soil and groundwater characterization programs for suggesting locations of sampling.

• Development of a set of spatial and temporal methodologies for evaluating groundwater monitoring plans. The methodologies handle many aspects of monitoring evaluation (spatial redundancy reduction, network augmentation, frequency optimization, and sufficiency analysis) and allow the dynamic optimization of the monitoring program as site and contaminant conditions change over time.
• Key developer of the AFCEE’s decision-support software, Monitoring and Remediation Optimization Systems (MAROS), which is available to the general environmental practitioners for formulating cost-effective and scientifically-based long-term monitoring plans. Constantly provide guidance on how to use or benefit from the software for practitioners and researchers seeking suggestions.
• Evaluation of groundwater monitoring programs at 6 sites across the county. These site applications were part of a joint U.S. EPA & AFCEE study for demonstrating innovative long-term monitoring optimization strategies and their applicability.
• Optimization of the groundwater monitoring program at a port facility in California. Improved the monitoring program leading to decreased disruption of port operations and increased worker safety in addition to cost savings.

• Design of a 100,000 ton/day (26.5 MGD) urban wastewater treatment plant (Urban WTP) in XinJiang Autonomic Region, China. The treatment process consists of bar screening, grit removal, activated sludge treatment by oxidation ditch, sedimentation, disinfection, and sludge digestion and dewatering. Completed hydraulic calculations for the entire process, determined dimensions of major structures, selected relevant equipments, designed plant layout, and conducted hydraulic calculation and layout of major pipelines (wastewater, sludge, recycle sludge, and storm).
• Design of the aeration tank and bar screens for a 50,000 ton/day Urban WTP in northern China. Performed hydraulic calculation, determined dimensions, calculated air volume, and selected blowers and aeration equipments.
• Feasibility study of an Urban WTP for DuYun, GuiZhou Province, China. Performed a water budget calculation, estimated wastewater quantity and contaminant loadings, and considered the city’s population and development blueprint. Proposed a conventional activited sludge process with a treatment capacity of 100,000 ton/day. Calculated process parameters and conducted an engineering economic analysis on the cost-benefits of the proposed project.
• Key developer of the Urban WTP Process Selection Expert System for the Ministry of Construction of China. This decision-support software selects the optimal treatment process by evaluating experts’ opinions regarding capital and operation costs, land use, technical maturity, operation and maintenance difficulty, and discharge quality.

Publications and Presentations