Kathy Webb, P.G.

Senior Market Leader | Principal

Kathy Webb, who co-founded SynTerra (then known as The Fletcher Group) in 1992, has completed remedial investigations and regulatory compliance projects associated with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) facilities, state and federal Superfund sites, solid waste landfills, brownfield redevelopment, utility coal combustion residual (CCR) management units, and regulated industrial facilities. She has supported litigation as an expert witness related to chlorinated solvents, metals, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

Kathy is known for her practical assessment strategy with the perspective of the client’s business objectives. She routinely evaluates groundwater corrective action systems for effectiveness and progress toward achieving compliance objectives. She has co-authored a trade journal paper with case studies of low-impact remedial strategies. Kathy is a licensed Professional Geologist in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Mark Taylor, P.G.

Principal

Mark has worked more than 40 years in natural-resource based industries. His expertise includes mine geology and mine engineering, hydrogeologic and geotechnical investigations, solid and hazardous waste management, and regulatory negotiations. He has published peer-reviewed papers about coal geology, ore geochemistry, mineralogy, and solid waste management. He is a leading expert in mining and environmental permitting for litigation support.

Mark is licensed as a Professional Geologist in South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Washington. He serves on the boards of the Upstate Red Cross and Upstate Forever. He served on the South Carolina Board of Registration for Geologists for six years. Mark holds a Master’s degree in Geological Sciences from The University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s degree in Geological Science from Harvard University.

Andrea Kehn, P.E.

Vice President of Engineering | Principal

Andrea Kehn, leader of our Civil & Environmental Engineering Business Unit, has 28 years of experience in chemical manufacturing and environmental consulting. She leads and supervises staff professionals on multidisciplinary projects for a variety of industrial clients. Andrea’s vast experience and expertise includes: air quality construction and operating permitting; air quality modeling; air permit record-keeping and reporting; Oil Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) and Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP); NPDES permitting; water quality modeling; process safety management; risk management compliance and auditing; and RCRA compliance.

Andrea is registered as a Professional Engineer in South Carolina. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University.

Ruth Albright, P.E.

Vice President | Principal

Ruth has led projects for major industrial facilities throughout the Southeast and beyond. She built her knowledge of environmental regulations and their application to manufacturing operations while working for the second largest chemical manufacturing company in the United States. At SynTerra, she has expanded both her knowledge and reputation working for chemical manufacturing operations of all sizes. She has also worked extensively with other manufacturing operations, including pulp and paper, industrial equipment, pharmaceuticals, food, and automotive parts and assembly. Her experience includes air and wastewater permit compliance, solid and hazardous waste management, solid waste construction permitting, hazardous materials transportation, wastewater treatment systems, air pollution control equipment operations and maintenance, and ambient air monitoring systems.

Ruth is a professional engineer registered in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Michigan, Arkansas, and Kentucky. She is an active member of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Environmental Technical Committee and serves as the chair of the water subcommittee. She has previously served as the program and committee chair for the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce Environmental Affairs committee. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University.

Using Microscopes for Macro Savings

Blog

Closing Data Gaps: Utilizing Field Microscopy for Real-Time CCR Identification

The accurate identification and delineation of coal combustion residuals (CCR) in complex subsurface environments present significant logistical and financial challenges, particularly when distinguishing ash from native soils and sediment or historical fill. Traditional characterization methods rely on visual field observations followed by a 7- to 10-day turnaround for polarized light microscopy analysis. Those methods often result in inaccurate horizontal and vertical delineations, which can lead to costly remobilization activities. These challenges are amplified in high-cost environments, such as drilling where barges, cranes, and other high-cost standby equipment is required.

SynTerra conducted a successful pilot test at an industrial cooling pond adjacent to a CCR ash basin, where historical records indicated potential ash migration of unknown extent. To overcome the limitations of the “Sample → Ship → Wait” workflow, SynTerra implemented a novel portable field microscopy protocol to identify the signatures of CCR. By leveraging the unique morphology of cenospheres (hollow, glassy spheres formed under high-temperature combustion that serve as a “smoking gun” for CCR), field geologists were able to make definitive “yes or no” determinations within 15 minutes of sample recovery.

The real-time data collected and evaluated by this methodology allowed for immediate adjustments to the sampling plan including the repositioning of the drilling barge to new coordinates, drastically reducing mobilization costs and standby time for specialized, expensive equipment. This approach is also being used to directly address data gaps essential for CCR Legacy Rule Facility Evaluation Reports by quickly providing defensible spatial data on ash presence. The integration of field microscopy with traditional soil classification-based logging aids data-driven decisions that align with evolving regulatory requirements.