Interim Remediation Successfully Started at Valley Pic Quik PST Release Site

Souder, Miller & Associates (SMA) has successfully started a new, interim remediation system designed to address historic petroleum contamination at the Valley Pic Quik site north of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Installation of the system was completed under the review of New Mexico Environment Department Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau and funding was provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The Valley Pic Quik site is a former convenience store along Valley Drive north of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Contamination was identified in soil and groundwater in an area on dense residential well development. Further investigation revealed small but significant concentrations of volatile hydrocarbons in substructures on site as well as periodic non-aqueous phase petroleum hydrocarbon liquid (NAPL, also referred to as “free product”) in monitoring wells.

The remediation system installed by SMA connects two of the most highly contaminated monitoring wells (as determined by prior soil vapor extraction system pilot testing completed by SMA) manifolded to a trailer mounted internal combustion engine (ICE) oxidation unit. The system has thus far operated per specifications applying up to a maximum of 30 inches of water vacuum, the point at which subsurface short-circuiting may be encountered. The system is anticipated to operate for approximately two months at this location.