U.S. Water News Online
SANTA FE -- The New Mexico State Environment Department has finished work on a groundwater remediation system that will treat contamination at a Superfund site in Espanola.
The department said it plans to implement the system soon.
The North Railroad Avenue plume, contaminated with perchloroethylene (PCE), is three quarters of a mile long and 260-feet deep. It stretches from North Railroad Avenue south to the Rio Grande.
The $4 million project will use two in-situ bioremediation systems to destroy PCE contaminants in the high concentration source area and deep zone aquifer. A third in-situ bioremediation system down grade will prevent contamination from reaching the Rio Grande.
State Environment Secretary Ron Curry said the state took the lead on the project but had cooperation from the city of Espanola, Santa Clara Pueblo and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
"It is teamwork like this that makes such important projects achievable," Curry said. "The department will begin a pilot test phase this week in the source area to reduce the concentration of contaminants in the aquifer."
The project will test three bioremediation amendment solutions to determine the most viable alternative for full-scale implementation. The solutions include vegetable oil, whey protein and ethyl lactate, which will be recirculated within the PCE plume.
The amendments will add necessary electron donors required for biodegradation of the PCE to nontoxic end products. The test is expected to take nine months.
The department said contamination at the site -- discovered in 1989 -- affected at least 280 million gallons of water and forced the closure of two city wells.
Return to the U.S. Water News Archives page Or Return to the U.S. Water News Homepage
Editor@uswaternews.com
*Your Name:
*Your Email:
*Friend's Email:
Use a comma to separate e-mail addresses:
*Your Comments:
Hi, I thought you might like to read this article.
*Required Fields