FACT SHEET
Former Phoenix West Sky Harbor Fueling Facility Corrective Action Plan
November 2009
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
(ADEQ) developed this fact sheet to inform the commu-nity
about planned remedial activities at the subject site
located at Sky Harbor International Airport in the City of
Phoenix.
WHY IS A REVISED CORRECTIVE ACTION
PLAN (CAP) BEING PROPOSED?
Releases of jet fuel were discovered in 1988 at the
former West Sky Harbor Fueling Facility associated
with underground fuel storage tanks and piping.
There were also releases of aviation gas and gasoline
on a much smaller scale. All underground tanks and
lines have been removed from the facility. Both soil
and groundwater have been impacted by the releases,
and the revised CAP has been prepared to ensure
that the remaining contamination is cleaned up as
approved by ADEQ.
The existing CAP included a plan to periodically
sample (monitor) the groundwater as contaminants
degraded naturally over time (also known as moni-tored
natural attenuation). However, the City of
Phoenix Aviation Department (COPAD) anticipates
the need to develop the property in approximately
ten years with the construction of new passenger ter-minals,
access roads and an automated light rail pas-senger
system. Because the natural attenuation
process would take a much longer period of time, the
COPAD has proposed this CAP revision to now
include an active remedial system to prevent the
potential for exposure both during and after con-struction
activities.
WHAT KINDS OF CONTAMINANTS ARE
PRESENT IN SOIL AND GROUNDWATER?
The bulk of the residual contamination in soil and
groundwater consists of heavier range hydrocarbons
typical of jet fuel/kerosene. Free product or phase
separated fuel has shown up periodically in monitor-ing
wells due to changes in groundwater levels. Free
product has not been found in monitoring wells since
2005. Trace levels of chlorinated volatile organic com-pounds
(CVOC) are also present, and are related to
area wide contamination from sources to the north of
this site.
WHERE IS THE CONTAMINATION LOCATED?
The contaminant plume is located south-southwest
of the current site of the west cell phone lot and east
of 27th Street, and covers an area of approximately
11½ acres. Currently, the residual fuel is mostly found
above the water table in the soil at depths well below
the surface (see map on page 2).
WHAT TYPE OF REMEDIAL SYSTEM IS
BEING PROPOSED?
Following several years of testing, the COPAD
plans to construct a system which blows air into the
groundwater and blows and/or extracts air from the
soil. Called biosparging and bioventing, this method
stimulates native bacteria in the soil which actually
feeds on petroleum related contaminants. In addition,
soil vapors will be extracted from the ground and
treated at the surface by a catalytic oxidizer (CatOx).
The CatOx unit removes contaminants from the
extracted vapors in much the same way as a catalytic
converter works on an automobile (see attached
diagram on page 3).
WILL THE SOIL VAPOR TREATMENT SYSTEM
BE MONITORED?
The soil vapor treatment system is currently
permitted by law through Maricopa County which
carries with it specific requirements, including the
monitoring of emissions to ensure that contaminants
are not released to the atmosphere at levels above
acceptable standards.
WILL THE PROGRESS OF REMEDIATION BE
TRACKED BY ADEQ?
Periodic Remedial Progress Reports related to the
CAP will be submitted to ADEQ as a condition of
approval.
Publication Number: FS 09-29
1
Map of Contamination Plume
2
Diagram of Biosparging and Bioventing Remedial System
ADEQ CONTACTS
Charles Hallas, Hydrologist III
Waste Programs Division
1110 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
(602) 771-4276 or
toll free at (800) 234-5677 Ext. 771-4276
e-mail: hallas.charles@azdeq.gov
William Engstrom, Unit Supervisor
Waste Programs Division
1110 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
(602) 771-4309 or
toll free at (800) 234-5677 Ext. 771-4309
e-mail: engstrom.william@azdeq.gov
Hearing impaired persons call
ADEQ's TDD line: (602) 771-4829
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