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The Ground Truth · June 18, 2026
By
, CEO & Co-Founder
June 18, 2026
Newsletter · Published monthly on LinkedIn
Welcome to the first issue of The Ground Truth. I have spent more than thirty years asking what it takes to remediate contaminated land responsibly and verify the result. Our project record offers a practical place to begin.
For the first issue of The Ground Truth, I thought it would be good to answer that question with our record of the work.
I have chosen projects that cover mobile remediation at scale, remote logistics, persistent organics, Indigenous partnership, industrial circularity and international deployment. Each project needs to be read against its own material profile, approvals and verification record.
The Tioga pipeline spill cleanup treated approximately 1.2 million tons of hydrocarbon-impacted soil by mobile thermal desorption on site. No soil was sent to landfill. The work took place in an agricultural community where returning land to use mattered.
The technical work was only part of the assignment. Winter conditions, limited infrastructure, coordination with landowners and regulators, and careful preservation of topsoil all shaped the project. The phrase I carried forward was “go slow to go fast”: invest in communication and planning so that the field work is built on trust.
North Dakota State University researchers studied the physical, chemical, agronomic and microbial response of thermally treated soil. The research record now extends beyond the early papers to a four-year field assessment and a seven-year synthesis.
The findings show successful contaminant reduction and recovery over time, with important limits. Topsoil blending, fertility management and continued monitoring contribute to reclamation; treatment does not instantly restore every soil property.
At Bear Hills in Alberta, Nelson treated 140,000 tonnes of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil from a legacy fuel retail site on Louis bull First Nation land, with excavation, thermal treatment and site restoration. Environment Journal named the work to its 2026 Top 25 Projects in Canada list.
Indigenous land and community priorities are central to the work. The project record and award background explain the treatment and restoration undertaken.
The AUA Tank Farm in American Samoa involved 16,000 tons of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil at a remote Pacific island site. Equipment was staged from Oakland and shipped across the Pacific, with operating systems adapted to tropical conditions.
The soil was treated to the applicable hydrocarbon criteria and the site was redeveloped for residential use. This is a practical example of what mobile means: bringing an appropriate treatment system to a place with substantial logistical constraints.
At a remote Ontario gold mine, Nelson treated 24,000 tonnes of PCB and hydrocarbon-impacted soil under an Ontario Environmental Compliance Approval. The approved project record describes the mobile thermal treatment and destruction of persistent organic contaminants.
This work illustrates how equipment, approvals, material characterization and verification must fit the specific site.
Nelson remediated 25,000 tons of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil at a legacy fuel storage brownfield in Honolulu. The site was subsequently redeveloped for commercial use.
Brownfield redevelopment makes the purpose of remediation tangible. The treated land becomes useful again, with a project-specific record supporting that outcome.
At an operating steel facility in eastern Canada, Nelson treated 80,000 tonnes of oil-impacted mill scale. The recovered ferrous material returned to steel production, while recovered oil became recycled fuel.
This project demonstrates treatment and recovery working together. The intended uses of both output streams were integral to the process.
A western Canadian oil and gas program involved 95,000 tonnes of hydrocarbon-impacted soil across a primary site and three satellite sites, with deep excavation and restoration of the natural area.
The lesson is consistent: experienced crews, coordinated excavation and treatment, and a clear verification plan matter as much as the equipment.
Municipal biosolids and other PFAS-bearing materials present a different challenge from hydrocarbons. Nelson’s PFAS work is pilot-validated, with further testing needed to establish performance for the specific material, compounds and operating conditions.
A pilot is an evaluation, not a universal destruction claim. Any project decision needs the approved analytical results, emissions and residuals assessment, and applicable regulatory requirements.
Nelson thermal desorption equipment has been deployed to Vietnam to address legacy dioxin residues. The project’s commissioning, operating conditions and verification requirements determine the treatment outcome.
International deployment demonstrates the logistical reach of the mobile thermal mobile fleet. It does not replace site-specific approvals or an approved operating result.
Nelson is a NATO STO PFAS test-bed participant. Controlled testing evaluates the technology and contributes evidence about performance under the conditions studied.
Participation is distinct from partnership, product certification or a guarantee of complete destruction. Public performance claims must remain tied to the approved results.
Across more than thirty years of work, mobility, engineering, verification and field responsibility remain central. The projects range from remote Pacific treatment to a large agricultural cleanup in North Dakota.
The research record shows why reclamation deserves attention alongside contaminant reduction. Verification must be interpreted within the jurisdiction and scope that apply to the project.
I believe the next thirty years will matter more than the last thirty. PFAS, biosolids, legacy dioxin residues and mixed waste streams will require careful evaluation of treatment, recovery, disposal and containment options.
I am grateful to the clients, communities and Nelson team members who built this record with us, and equally grateful for what we are being trusted to do next. Because tomorrow matters.
Sources and further reading
Read the original LinkedIn edition
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Read Next
Project Case Study•2026Tioga: Anatomy of a Cleanup
Project Case Study•2026Bear Hills: Ground Returned
Recognition•2026Bear Hills Named to Top 25 Projects in Canada, 2026
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