United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of
Research and Development
Cincinnati, OH 45268
EPA/540/F-96/503
May 1996
v>EPA Fact Sheet
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Demonstration of VOC
Treatment and Disposal Via
Spray Irrigation
Hastings, Nebraska
PURPOSE OF THIS FACT SHEET:
To describe EPA's SITE Program
demonstration of VOC Treatment and
Disposal Via Spray Irrigation.
To announce the EPA Visitor's Day
scheduled for July 15, 1996
in Hastings, Nebraska.
INTRODUCTION
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will
perform a technology demonstration at a contaminated
ground water site in Hastings, Nebraska. The
demonstration is part of the EPA's Superfund
Innovative Technology Evaluation. (SITE) Program.
The SITE Program, created in 1986, evaluates new and
promising treatment technologies for addressing
hazardous waste site contamination.
The technology is a Center Pivot Spray Irrigation
system which was developed by University of
Nebraska-Lincoln researchers. The irrigation system is
equipped with off-the-shelf fog producing impact pads
for improved efficiency. The demonstration will
evaluate the ability of this technology to remove (strip)
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from contaminated
groundwater. The effluent contaminant levels will be
evaluated against cleanup criteria set by the EPA
Region 7.
As part of the Western Governor's Association
initiative for innovative technologies, several state
environmental agencies, representatives from the Navy
Facilities Engineering Centers, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, and other stakeholders reviewed the
demonstration plan. The purpose is to use this
demonstration to identify appropriate applications of
the spray irrigation alternative for states and federal
facilities.
TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION
The arm of a sprinkler irrigation system can be short or
long, depending on the availability of water and land.
Sprinkler irrigation systems are widely used throughout
the country and the world for crop production because
of the capability to irrigate sandy areas and hilly
terrains. These systems are self propelled, highly
mechanized, and efficient. Sprinkler irrigation systems
apply water uniformly, reduce leaching, and have low
labor and operating requirements. They do not require
land leveling and start-up costs are low.
The heart of the sprinkler irrigation system is the
nozzle. By placing nozzles at relatively close intervals
along an elevated pipeline, field water application is
SUPERFUND INNOVATIVE
TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION
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essentially uniform. The amount of sprayed water is
controlled by the speed with which the "pivot" or
"linear" travels across the field.
When irrigation water is applied using the sprinkler
method, the water is distributed over the irrigated area
by a spray. The nozzles are configured to have a small
opening from which a stream of water is emitted. The
high velocity stream strikes an impact pad and forms a
thin film of water. The film breaks up into small
droplets as it leaves the pad. The droplet size depends
on the pressure and the impact pad design.
SITE DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY
A SITE Demonstration using a center pivot irrigation
system will be performed at the North Landfill Subsite
in Hastings, Nebraska. The 20-ha (50-acre) site is a
furrow-irrigated corn field underlain by commingled
plumes of contaminated groundwater, located on the
eastern edge of Hastings, Nebraska. The ground water
is 36.5 m (120 feet) below the land surface and
contains trace levels of the solvents 1,1,2-
trichloroethylene (TCE), 1,1,1 -trichloroethane (TCA)
and the fungicides carbon tetrachloride (CT) and
ethylene dibromide (EDB). Also present are traces of
solvent and fungicide degradates such as 1,1 -DCE,
trans 1.2-dichloroethylene and chloroform. A grain
elevator up gradient is the source of the fungicides
while the solvents are allegedly from an abandoned
landfill and industrial sites located southwest of the
elevator.
TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION
The primary goal of the SITE Demonstration is to
determine the efficiency of sprinkler irrigation as a
method for remediating VOC-contaminated ground
water to levels below the maximum contaminant levels
(MCLs). The results of previous tests indicate removal
rates of EDB, TCE, TCA, and CT that exceeded 95%
in most cases. In some instances the removal rate
approached 100%. Monitoring of system parameters
will also be performed to characterize the operation of
the system.
Samples will be sent to the EPA Office of Research
and Development laboratory in Cincinnati, Ohio. The
EPA will analyze the liquid samples for the volatile
compounds of interest. All data will be collected using
strict quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC)
procedures. These data will be used to determine
whether the sprinkler irrigation system has met the
cleanup objectives specified by the EPA Region 7.
Operational information such as treatment rates,
temperatures, and pressures will be collected during the
course of treatment. An economic evaluation of the
technology will also be performed based on available
information.
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
The final products of the SITE Demonstration will be a
Technology Bulletin and an Innovative Technology
Evaluation Report. A videotape of the demonstration
may also be produced.
A summary of the comments, questions, and
suggestions offered by state and federal reviewers will
be included in the final report.
As part of the technology transfer effort and in
conjunction with on-going community activities, the
EPA is sponsoring a Visitor's Day on July 16, 1996, in
Hastings, Nebraska.
If you would like to attend, please complete the
attached registration form and mail or FAX it to:
Vicente Gallardo
U.S. EPA
26 West Martin L. King Drive
Cincinnati. Ohio 45268
(513)569-7176
FAX: (513) 569-7620
email: gallardo.vincente@epamail.epa.gov
Questions regarding the center pivot spray irrigation
system should be directed to:
Roy Spalding
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Water Center/Environmental Programs
103 Natural Resources Hall
P.O. Box 830844
Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0844
(402) 472-7558
FAX: (402) 472-9599
Questions concerning the SITE Demonstration should
be directed to:
Teri Richardson
EPA SITE Project Manager
U.S. EPA
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
26 West Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268
(513) 569-7949 Fax: (513)569-7105
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REGISTRATION FORM
Name
Phone #
Organization
FAX
Address
Attendees
To register by phone (IA, KS, MO, NE residents only) call 1-800-223-0425. The registration form may
also be FAXed to Vincente Gallardo at (513)569-7620.
PLEASE REGISTER BY JUNE 15,1996
Questions concerning the EPA Region 7 cleanup at the
Hastings site should be directed to:
Diane Easley
SUPRIANE
U.S. EPA Region 7
726 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City, Kansas 66101
(913)551-7797
Toll Free (IA, KS, MO, NE)
1-800-223-0425
FAX: (913) 551-7063
Questions concerning the state and federal facilities
participation should be directed to:
Richard Schlenker
Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 98922
1200 N. Street
Lincoln, NE 68509-8922
(402)471-2186
FAX: (402) 471-2909
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the
U.S. EPA would like to express appreciation to
Morrison Enterprises for installing the
sprinkler irrigation system and operating it
during previous tests and this Demonstration.
Additionally, we would like to thank the
farmers, Davie Utecht and Kenneth Craig for
permitting access to the site and apologize for
any inconvenience.
Demonstration of Spray Irrigation as a VOC Treatment and Disposal Method
Hastings, Nebraska
Visitor's Day Information
Date: Tuesday, July 16, 1996
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Grand
Island
26 milesf • 93 miles
Place: 1-80
Central Community College
Hastings Campus Library ^ "~"
East U.S. Hwy 6 <*
Nuckolls Bldg. Hastings Mun. Airport
Lodging:
Holiday Inn
2205 N. Old Hwy 281
402/463-6721
12 Street
2nd Street
Hwys 34 and 6
Location of Hastings Region
within State of Nebraska
iilesj I
~7^
Lincoln, NE
Hotels
1-281
Bypass 6
Hotels
Field Demo
* Hwy 6
C3
Hastings
Community
College.
Meet here.
1-281
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United States
Environmental Protection Agency
National Risk Management
Research Laboratory, G-72
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Official Business •
Penalty for Private Use
$300
EPA/540/F-96/503
BULK RATE
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
PERMIT No. G-35
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