Site Status Update South Valley Superfund Site Albuquerque, New Mexico January 2013 v>EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency u univAR4 This Fact Sheet will tell you about... • Current Status • Site Status Summaries • Background • For more information Additional background information about this site can found online at: htty://www. eya. gov/region 6/6sf/ydffiles/south- valley-nm.ydf Current Status EPA initiated a Five Year Review process in Septem- ber 2009 and completed its findings on August 26, 2010. The on-going remedial actions continue to be protective of human health and the environment. General Electric Aviation (GEA) ceased operations in September 2010 and completed demolition of the buildings in the South Plant 83 area in May 2011. GEA investigated various sumps and sub-grade struc- tures located in the South Plant 83 area. As a result of this investigation, GEA excavated and properly dis- posed of chromium contaminated soils located near the old East/West Tank Line area of the site. These activities were completed in November 2012. Site Status Summaries The remedial treatment of contamination at the South Valley Superfund Site was divided into six areas or Operable Units (OUs). Of the six units, three have been completed and the other three have on-going remedial activities. OU #1 - The replacement well, Burton #4, was com- pleted in April 1987. OU #2 - Wells that could provide for migration of contamination to the deep groundwater or other shal- low wells that could be a hazard were plugged. This work was completed in September 1994. Ground wa- ter monitoring continues today as part of the overall monitoring program implemented by GEA. OU #3 - A ground water recovery system initiated operations in September 1990. A vapor recovery sys- tem initiated operations in November 1999. The ground water recovery system and vapor recovery system were both shut off in November 2006. Subse- quent monitoring has shown that the groundwater and vapor extraction systems reduced the dissolved chlo- rinated volatile organic compound (VOC) concentra- tions to levels below and compliant with Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirements (ARARs) as defined in the Record of Decision (ROD). Univar USA Inc. (Univar) is currently implementing a plan to address an emerging contaminant, 1,4- Dioxane, which is present in the ground water at the site. 1,4-Dioxane has historically been used as a stabi- lizer in selected solvents. While the ground water re- covery system and vapor recovery system were effective in treating the VOCs at the site, these sys- tems were not configured to treat the 1,4-Dioxane so it remains in the ground water. OU #4 - This is a "no-action" unit. Univar was to in- vestigate the soil around a pit on their property in an effort to establish the source of the solvents under their plant. No evidence was found in the soils. There- fore, there was no remedial action to be taken. OU #5 - GEA initiated shallow ground water recov- ery systems on both the North Plant 83 and South Plant 83 areas. Both ground water recovery systems initiated operations in May 1994. Recently, the moni- toring and extraction well data from the wells in the neighborhood north of the former North Plant 83 area indicated no VOCs above their respective ARARs in the groundwater for at least 8 consecutive sample events (i.e. several years). Accordingly, GEA re- quested approval of the closure of wells and convey- ------- ance system in the off-site area from the Environmen- tal Protection Agency (EPA) and New Mexico Envi- ronmental Department (NMED) in its letter dated October 8, 2009. Representatives from the EPA and NMED met with GEA January 27, 2010 to discuss the pending closure plan for the off-site area. Subse- quently, the EPA and NMED approved the closure of the wells and conveyance system in their letter dated March 4, 2010. Consistent with the Revocable Permit from the City of Albuquerque (January 26, 1994, Project Number Ml4-003), the underground high-density polyeth- ylene (HDPE) conveyance pipelines were flushed, cleaned, and abandoned in place. On June 1, 2010, Axis personnel flushed the buried HDPE conveyance pipeline using a mixture of Alconox® detergent and water, followed by a clean water rinse. Water used to flush the pipeline was taken to the Deep Zone Groundwater Treatment Plant for subsequent treat- ment that included particulate filtration, air stripping, and filtration through the activated carbon. At the conclusion of the flushing program, the pipeline was abandoned in place. Cornerstone Electric (electrical contractor) removed the electrical service wire and service fixtures (switches, outlets, etc) from the electrical vaults and well vaults located in the neighborhood. Once the wiring and fixtures were removed, the buried conduit was then abandoned in place. Enviro-Drill (drilling contractor) was on site from June 1 through June 3, 2010 to abandon the offsite North Plant 83 Shallow Zone neighborhood wells per State of New Mexico requirements. Three extraction wells (SEW-01, SEW-02, and SEW-11) and 10 moni- toring wells (P83-05S, P83-16S, P83-15S, P83-13S, P83-12S, P83-02S, P83-04S, P83-14S, P83-03S, and S-01) were abandoned. AG2 (paving and concrete contractor) abandoned the vaults in the street and sidewalk that were used for the extraction wells, electrical works, and valves. Con- sistent with City of Albuquerque specifications, the vaults were abandoned and the streets and sidewalks were repaired in the neighborhood north of the former North Plant 83 area. Since the monitoring and extraction well data from the wells on the North Plant 83 indicated no VOCs above their respective ARARs in the ground water for at least 8 consecutive sample events, EPA approved closure of all the wells on the North Plant 83 area on May 31, 2011. Recently on November 1, 2011, GEA requested formal closure of the Former Plant 83/GEA Operable Unit #5 (OU5) North Plant 83 area, Shallow Zone Groundwater Remediation System, South Val- ley Superfund Site, Albuquerque, New Mexico, based on the following: > All remedial activity is complete and the con- centrations of dissolved volatile organic com- pounds (VOCs) in the groundwater are below the ARARs > All facilities associated with the Shallow Zone Groundwater Remediation System in the for- mer North Plant 83 area have been closed and removed > No routine groundwater sampling is being conducted as part of the OU #5 in the former North Plant 83 area > Abandoned 16 monitoring wells > Abandoned 4 extraction wells > Abandoned the SIW-01 injection well > Removed all well vaults, along with piping and electrical fixtures in vaults > Removed electrical works > Flushed all piping with Alconox® detergent water and then rinsed with clean water; treated and discharged all flush water at the Deep Zone Groundwater Remediation System as a precaution > Removed all former North Plant 83 area pip- ing > Excavated, cut, and capped the piping beneath Woodward Road S.E. and filed for termina- tion of the Revocable Permit with the City of Albuquerque. EPA is currently reviewing this request. By its letter dated November 24, 2011, the EPA acknowledged that GEA has satisfied all of the re- quirements associated with the North Plant 83 ground water remediation system. Monitoring to determine if all the wells on the South ------- Plant 83 area remain below their respective ARARs has recently been completed. EPA anticipates that GE will be able to close these wells in the near future. GEA completed an investigation of all the sub-grade sumps on the South Plant 83 area. As a result of this investigation, GEA identified soil contamination in the former East/West Tank line area. Subsequently, GEA completed excavations to remove hexavalent chromium contamination within the upper 15 feet of soil. GEA submitted a report documenting all of the sump investigation activities in the spring of 2012. This removal event was completed in November 2012. OU #6 - The Deep Zone Groundwater Remediation System was constructed during 1995 and 1996 and became operational in March 1996. The Deep Zone Groundwater Remediation System includes monitor- ing wells, extraction wells, injection wells, and a groundwater treatment system. Many of the monitor- ing well points have multiple wells or sample points associated with that well. The Deep Zone Groundwater Remediation System operates by extracting groundwater from four large diameter extraction wells, and conveying this groundwater via dual-contained pipe to the treatment system located on the North West intersection of Woodward Road and the Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Association (AMAFCA) South Diversion Channel. The extracted groundwater is brought into the treatment plant via separate pipelines and is then combined in the influent tank. From the influent tank, the groundwater is then pumped through two air-stripping towers where the VOCs are removed. This water then flows through two granulated activated carbon vessels for redundant treatment and is then piped into a single effluent hold- ing tank. From the effluent tank, the treated water is piped through a filter system to remove particles and then conveyed via a single-contained pipe to 11 injec- tion wells where it is returned to the Deep Zone Aqui- fer at or near the same elevation where it was removed. Carbon dioxide is added to the treated water just after the filter system which lowers the pH of the water to approximately the pH value of the aquifer. The Treatment Plant effluent is sampled monthly to assess treatment effectiveness, and monitoring wells are used to monitor the progress of the remediation in both the horizontal and vertical extent within and out- side of the plume boundary. In addition to the treatment of the groundwater for remediation purposes, a small portion of the treated water from the effluent tank is diverted for treatment by reverse osmosis for use at the treatment plant. The quantity of water diverted for this purpose is moni- tored and a record of this is provided to the State En- gineers Office once per month. The Deep Zone Groundwater Remediation System has treated approximately 5,884,217,968 gallons of groundwater as of October 2011. Background The South Valley Site is located in an industrial area in the southern portion of Albuquerque, New Mexico, one-half mile west of the Albuquerque International Airport and one-half mile east of the Rio Grande, close to the intersection of South Broadway and Woodward Road. Historical and current land use sur- rounding the Site is primarily industrial, with some residential use to the north of the Site. One portion of the South Valley Site is known as the Univar Site. The Univar Site has been used for vari- ous industrial and commercial purposes for approxi- mately 50 years. In 1965, Edmunds Chemical Company (Edmunds) purchased the land. Edmunds and its successor, SEC Corporation (SEC), distributed various industrial chemicals in addition to selling dry ice, chlorine, and ammonia gas. In 1971, SEC sold the industrial chemical portion of its business to Univar, but SEC continued in the business of selling dry ice, chlorine, and ammonia gas. Univar began leasing the eastern portion of the property for its activities, while SEC continued to occupy the rest of the Site. In 1977, AmeriGas acquired SEC and continued the dry ice, chlorine, and ammonia gas operation, while Univar remained as a tenant. AmeriGas sold the property in 1982 to Dixie Chemical, and re-acquired the property later that same year. Since 1985, only Univar has been active on the Site. In June 1988, Univar pur- chased the property from AmeriGas and has since owned and operated the Site. The other portion of the Site is known as the former Air Force Plant 83 Site. The Plant 83 facility consist- ed of two facilities: North Plant 83 Area located north of Woodward Road, which was demolished in Octo- ber 1997, and South Plant 83 Area located south of Woodward Road, which was demolished in May ------- 2011. Both facilities have been used for manufactur- ing purposes since the 1950's, first by Eidel Manufac- turing, followed by the Atomic Energy Commission through its contractor American Car Foundry, fol- lowed by the U.S. Air Force through its contractors General Electric, and finally by General Electric Avi- ation (GEA) as facility owner since 1984. In 1978, the City of Albuquerque analyzed samples from the San Jose and Miles municipal well fields. Low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC's) were detected in well SJ-3 and SJ-6. These wells were temporarily taken out of service. Both SJ-3 and SJ-6 wells were plugged and abandoned in 1994. The re- medial action at Operable Unit (OU) #1 was then completed through the installation of a well that re- placed the amount of water taken out of service through the well abandonment. In 1981, EPA and NMED designated a 1-square mile area around SJ-6 as a Superfund Site which was add- ed to the National Priorities List (NPL). This area be- came OU #2. Based on investigations, EPA concluded that the trace concentrations of solvents in the vicinity of SJ-6 "do not pose a threat to public health or the environment" provided that the SJ-6 well plugging and abandonment is implemented. Two RODs were issued for Univar: one for the ground water (OU #3) and one for the vadose zone (OU #4). The ROD for OU #4 required no further ac- tion for the Edmunds Street source control (vadose zone). However, a vadose zone treatment was initiat- ed later by Univar to increase the efficiency of the extraction system for ground water, OU #3. The re- medial action (RA) selected for OU #3 consisted of the containment and collection of the contaminated ground water through the use of an extraction well system, treatment of the recovered ground water through packed tower aeration, and return of the treated water to the aquifer through infiltration galler- ies. The ROD also stated that the selected remedy would include the monitoring of ground water, treated water, and ambient air to ensure the effectiveness of the remedy. At GEA, the ROD required the installation of addi- tional monitoring wells, the treatment of contaminat- ed soil via vapor extraction and activated carbon, the extraction and treatment of ground water via liquid- phase activated carbon, and the extraction and treat- ment of the ground water to a depth of about 160 ft below ground surface via air stripping and liquid- phase activated carbon. The ROD addressed two dis- tinct ground water zones - the shallow zone (OU #5) and the deep zone (OU #6). For more information, please contact... Michael Hebert Remedial Project Manager U.S. EPA Region 6 214.665.8315 or 1.800.533.3508 (toll free) hebert.michael@epa.gov Stephen Harper Community Involvement Coordinator (SEE) U.S. EPA Region 6 214.665.2727 or 1.800.533.3508 (toll free) harper. stephen@epa. gov Allan Pasteris Geoscientist, Superfund Oversight Section New Mexico Environment Department 505.827.0039 allan.pasteris@state.nm.us All inquiries from the news media should be directed to the EPA Region 6 Press Office at 214.665.2200. Information Repositories, which contain information about Site activities, have been established at the fol- lowing locations: Zimmerman Library Government Information Department University of New Mexico Albuquerque NM 87131 505.277.9100 New Mexico Environment Department Harold Runnels Building 1190 St. Francis Drive Santa Fe NM 87505 505.827.2855 E-mail addresses To receive future mailings electronically in portable document format (PDF), contact Stephen Harper/U.S. EPA by e-mail at harper.stephen@epa.gov and pro- vide your name and e-mail address. Inquiries from the news media should be directed to the External Affairs Office at 214.665.2200. ------- |