EPA begins groundwater treatment system construction in California

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the commencement of construction of groundwater treatment systems at two superfund sites in Torrance, California, US.

EPA is building the groundwater treatment system at Montrose and Del Amo superfund sites to clean up chlorobenzene, benzene and other industrial chemical contaminants from groundwater.

The chemicals were used in manufacturing of pesticide DDT and synthetic rubber at the sites.

Under the supervision of EPA, Montrose Chemical will build the water treatment system, dig 11 wells, and install about 30,000ft of underground piping.

The project is expected to take 18 months to complete and cost around $15m.

Upon completion, the groundwater treatment system will collect contaminated water from the aquifer, remove chemicals from it and return the treated water back to the ground.

The treated water will be re-injected to surround the contamination and prevent it from polluting unaffected areas.

From 1947 to 1982, Montrose Chemical of California has manufactured the pesticide DDT by using cholorbezene as one of the raw materials.

The Del Amo superfund site, adjacent to the Montrose site, was previously a synthetic rubber manufacturing plant that used benzene, ethyl benzene, and naphthalene for rubber production.

Discharges from the sites have contaminated the groundwater and now it will be cleaned by the treatment system.

The company will build the system on both public and private property and use wind screens and noise blankets to control the resulting dust and noise during the construction work.

In addition, precautions will be taken to prevent the spread of DDT-impacted dust outside of the work area.

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Image: The EPA headquarters in Washington DC, US. Photo: Courtesy of Billy Hathorn.