EPA Uses Greener Cleanup Practices to Reduce Environmental Footprint at Telles Ranch UST Site, Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation When cleaning up contamination, EPA strives to reduce its environmental footprint by using greener cleanup practices whenever possible. In 2017, EPA's Pacific Southwest Underground Storage Tank (UST) program performed a greener cleanups evaluation at the Telles Ranch leaking UST site in Arizona, documented greener cleanup practices already underway, and identified additional greener cleanup practices. 1 "1 5" 31 8 ^ ¦¦¦ H Top of canal bank showing product skimmers used in the remedy at Telles Ranch Photo by Scott Ruth, Bristol Environmental Using the ASTM International Standard Guide for Greener Cleanups best management practices checklist, EPA documented 18 greener cleanup practices already underway, which reflect efficiency of site operations and reduction of our environmental footprint at the Telles Ranch site. The best management practices included recycling recovered petroleum and using a telemetry system to monitor site conditions remotely. We also identified four best management practices that could further reduce the environmental footprint while still achieving the same protective cleanup at the site. The additional practices included using a solar power pack system to power on-site activities and driving alternative fuel vehicles for trips to and from the site. Evaluating the Telles Ranch activities for greener cleanup practices provided good ideas for greening the cleanup, and applying the best management practices checklist was straightforward and beneficial. See ASTM's website for the greener cleanup report about Telles Ranch: www.astm.org/COMMIT/E2893 GreenerCleanupReports.html. About the Telles Ranch Site The Telles Ranch site is located 7 miles south of Poston, Arizona, on the Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation. The site is approximately 8 acres, and it is currently operated as a farm equipment maintenance facility. There are a few homes nearby. Various activities at the property dating back to 1942 resulted in release of petroleum into the subsurface. Petroleum product removal began in 1990 and continues to the present using skimmer pumps and a product interceptor pipe. For More Information To learn more about underground storage tanks in Indian country: www.epa.gov/ust/underground-storage-tanks- u s t s - p ro g ram -1 n d i an -co u n t p. . For information about greener cleanups: www.epa.gov/greenercleanups. Transporting recovered product for recycling SEPA Office of Underground Storage Tanks, Washington, D.C. 20460 vwKW.epa.gov/ust February 2018 ------- |