Paragon Consulting Group offers a wide range of services that cross industries and reflect the expertise of our scientific, engineering, planning, and technical staff. We provide a full range of engineering and management services, including the development of plans and specifications, cost estimates, and construction bids; construction oversight; field implementation; and monitoring. We also provide a full range of land-use planning and permitting services including due diligence and property research, project development, project management, community engagement, and on-call planning services, as well as working with communities through Code and Master Plan updates.
Past environmental projects include: Air quality evaluations, environmental assessments, hydrogeologic and groundwater evaluations, landfill siting and permitting, subsurface assessments, remedial actions and on-site treatment, petroleum tank assessments, permitting at CAFOs and waste disposal facilities, and water-rights engineering.
Air-Related Services
Paragon’s air-related projects have ranged from simple air monitoring to preparation of complex operating (Title V) permits. Services that Paragon provides include vapor-intrusion assessments; indoor-air assessments; design of underslab vent systems; inventory of air discharge emission points (combustion or process vents or stacks); measurement of pollutant discharges; estimation of air emissions for permitting and/or reporting purposes; completion of BACT/RACT analyses; preparation of APENs, construction permits and operating permits; coordination with regulatory agencies; and reporting.
Air-related services project capsules
Brownfields & Voluntary Cleanup
Brownfields and Voluntary Cleanup programs provide property owners with resources to facilitate cleanups as well as assurances against regulatory enforcement that often hinder the redevelopment and reuse of contaminated properties. Paragon provides coordination, assessment, remediation, and technical support services to property owners for the completion of Brownfields and Voluntary Cleanup programs throughout the United States. Paragon has assisted with negotiating numerous properties through the state Brownfields and Voluntary Cleanup programs including former landfills, dry cleaning operations, manufactured gas plants, auto repair shops, and mining processing plants.
Brownfields, VCUP and RCRA project capsules
Colorado Voluntary Cleanup and Redevelopment Program
Concentrated Animal Feeding
Operations (CAFOs)
Paragon has worked with multiple dairies and feedlots to provide CAFO-related hydrologic assessment, impoundment design, surface and groundwater protection, manure and wastewater management plans, nutrient management plans, facility management plans, CAFO discharge permitting, annual reporting preparation, regulatory compliance, and interfacing with regulators. Typical services include: evaluating facility operations, impoundment placement, design and nutrient management for new and existing CAFO facilities; preparing plans, specifications and nutrient management plans for new and existing CAFO facilities; preparing compliance and permitting documentation for new and existing CAFO facilities; interfacing and coordinating with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE); and coordinating with a variety of service contractors including surveyors, drillers, geotechnical laboratories, chemical laboratories, and construction contractors.
Colorado animal and livestock feeding operations
Environmental Site Assessments
(ESAs)
Paragon has provided environmental site assessment and due diligence in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards, All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) requirements, and client-specific requests for sites across the United States, Canada, and numerous international sites. The purpose of a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) is to gather information to develop a professional opinion about the environmental condition of the site and to identify actual or potential environmental contamination, which may impact the property value or affect claim to an “innocent land owner” exemption following an acquisition. Based on the findings, Paragon attempts to help the client resolve outstanding issues in a cost- and time-effective manner.
Expert Witness Litigation Support
Paragon has provided expert witness and litigation support services throughout its history. In addition to water-rights related expert witness services, other subject matters range from assessment and remediation of environmental contamination to well performance to Colorado Petroleum Storage Tank Reimbursement eligibility. Scopes of services include supporting discovery, participating in deposing other expert witnesses, preparation of exhibits, assisting with cross-examination questions, and testifying at depositions and at trial.
Expert witness litigation support project capsules
Hazardous Waste Management
Hazardous waste can refer to a number of different chemicals, compounds, products and bi-products of manufacturing, maintenance, mining, laboratory activity, refining raw products or other processes that create waste. Paragon has broad experience in assessing and solving hazardous waste issues. Paragon’s hazardous waste services include site characterizations to evaluate the impacts from on-site and off-site contamination sources; review of current and/or past waste disposal and storage practices; waste management planning; waste minimization assistance; waste stream characterization; disposal evaluation; remedial assessments/feasibility evaluations; RCRA regulatory interpretation, compliance, permitting and reporting; and litigation support and expert witness services.
Hazardous waste management project capsules
Colorado hazardous waste management
Landfill
Paragon provides landfill construction assistance services, including final cover design and cell design, bid package development, construction management, and construction observation services. Paragon also provides landfill expansion services, including siting, design, operations, monitoring, permitting, and development of Engineering D&O plans for existing or new landfills. Paragon develops ancillary plans such as Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) plans; waste characterization and acceptance plans; stormwater management plans; air permits; volume evaluation; special waste acceptance plans; landfill phasing; and landfill life calculations.
Colorado solid waste regulations
Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
Due Diligence
A significant part of Paragon’s practice since Paragon’s founding in 1997 is related to being part of due diligence teams for private equity clients. Typical services include Phase I environmental site assessments; Phase II environmental site assessments (soil and water sampling); regulatory compliance assessments; environmental database reviews (sometimes referred to as “desktop reviews”); peer reviews of target engineering firms; bracketing possible environmental exposure; assisting with establishing escrow amounts and requirements; interfacing with deal team legal counsel on diligence issues and contract language; development of post-closing plans; and a variety of other services as needed by a particular investment opportunity. Paragon prides itself on being able to customize scopes of services to the identified risks associated with a particular target platform company or add-on company. Exit or liquidity event support is also part of Paragon’s services and due diligence services are performed with an eye on the inevitable future exit from an investment. One particularly telling compliment received several times over the years is that Paragon helps to get the deal to closing by finding solutions to identified risks rather than just identifying the risk. Paragon has supported acquisitions of companies located in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Brazil, China, Singapore, United Kingdom, Ireland, and other countries in Europe and Asia.
M&A due diligence project capsules
Here are some of the private equity teams that Paragon has partnered with since the inception of those teams:
Excellere Partners
KRG Capital Partners
Lariat Partners
Mountaingate Capital
Oil Exploration & Production (E&P)
Paragon provides services to oil and gas clients including due diligence for asset acquisition or divestiture, soil and water assessment, remediation activities, spill response coordination, and regulatory compliance and implementation. Paragon has completed these types of tasks for numerous E&P companies as well a number of E&P service providers including wastewater disposal companies, fuel additive companies, drilling equipment suppliers, and real estate developers. Paragon has prepared numerous Spill Prevention, Containment and Control Plans (SPCCPs); Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs); air permits; and waste disposal permits for E&P companies and E&P service providers.
Colorado air permitting – oil and gas industry
Colorado stormwater permitting
Wyoming produced water disposal & treatment
Planning/Land-Use Permitting
Paragon provides planning and land-use permitting services for private clients and local governments. These services are accentuated by a foundation of trust established between your business, the local jurisdiction, and your Paragon planning team members who have decades of success navigating through local permitting processes. Planning for contingencies, identifying opportunities, developing creative solutions, and delivering results are hallmarks we bring to every project. From due diligence and property research; permitting, land-use entitlements, engagement and community presentations; permit compliance; and divestment of assets, you can be assured the Paragon team will deliver the quality you expect.
The Paragon planning team has the ability to assist local communities including on-call planning assistance, planning department support, community engagement, updating and assessing codes and plans, and planning commission training.
Regulatory Compliance
Paragon provides regulatory compliance services for federal, state, and local regulatory requirements for environmental compliance. Paragon has particular expertise in federal and state storage tank regulations; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA); Clean Air Act; Clean Water Act; Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Plans (SPCCPs); asbestos regulations; Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA); universal and biohazardous waste regulations; and oil and gas regulations. Paragon has provided compliance services for companies with facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Brazil, China, Singapore, United Kingdom, Ireland, and other countries in Europe and Asia.
Regulatory compliance project capsules
Colorado hazardous waste management
Colorado stormwater permitting
Colorado water quality regulations
Risk-Based Evaluation
Risk assessment, properly applied, provides a practical and reasonable method of considering limited resources in the private and public sectors while being protective of human health and the environment. Paragon’s risk-based evaluation services pursue balanced decision-making based on scientific method. Paragon’s evaluations do not seek to identify and remove all uncertainty, but are planned to expeditiously and cost-effectively gather sufficient information to support an informed risk management decision. Paragon closely follows the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) E50 committees developing new standards for risk-based evaluation. The company provides a diverse and innovative program of services scaled to the client and site needs, whether it be a Superfund-Level evaluation or Risk-Based Corrective Action (RBCA) for underground storage tanks. Paragon continues to actively monitor numerous state programs to implement RBCA, solid waste, Brownfields, and other risk-based initiatives.
Risk-based evaluation project capsules
ITRC – Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council
Storage Tanks
Paragon provides storage tank services including regulatory compliance, assessment, remediation, and tank closure and removal. Paragon personnel have worked on thousands of storage tank sites across the United States. Storage tank services include assessment and compliance review for purchase and sale of storage tank facilities; assessment and remediation for leaking underground (UST) and aboveground (AST) storage tank sites; and coordination and observation of tank removal activities. Paragon also has expertise in assistance with state reimbursement funds and coverage of assessment and remediation services through insurance.
OPS – Colorado Division of Oil and Public Safety
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality UST Program
Utah Department of Environmental Quality UST Program
New Mexico Environment Department Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau
EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
Water Resources
Paragon has enjoyed the opportunity to provide a wide range of water-resources engineering services supporting water users, ditch companies, and wildlife habitat managers. These services are related to the development and protection of water resources and water rights. Paragon focuses on the client’s desires, available resources and practical solutions that accomplish the client’s goals while maximizing the use of water resources. Typical water-rights services include, but are not limited to, preparation of water-rights applications for change cases and new water rights, change-case prosecution from application through trial, analysis of historical consumptive use, groundwater modelling, augmentation/recharge plan preparation, preparation of substitute water-supply plans, water-rights accounting, and opposition support. Additional water-resources services include ditch maintenance assistance; canal operations using modern methods; design of measurement and recording stations; crossing agreement review, preparation and support; design of ditch crossings; recharge/augmentation pond design; review and summary of water-rights portfolios; assistance with grant and Colorado Water Conservation Board loan applications; construction management/observation; design of conveyance structures and other structures; and interfacing with the Division of Water Resources at all levels from River Commissioner to State Engineer. Paragon has unique expertise and perspective since Dave Rau, Principal Engineer at Paragon, owns shares in three Division 1 ditch companies and irrigates with ditch shares.
Water resources project capsules
Colorado Division of Water Resources
Paragon Consulting Group 