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After overseeing the completion of the soil cleanup at the Pacifc Coast Pipeline (PCPL) Site, a former refnery

in Fillmore,
California, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is ready to start the next phase of cleanup. In October 2014
work will begin on the air sparging system, a treatment system that will help clean up benzene in the groundwater. This
chemical is present in the groundwater due to historical refnery operations from the early 1900s to 1950.
U. S . E nvi ronmental P rotecti on Agency R egi on 9 S an F ranci s co, C A October 2014
Pacif ic Coast Pipeline
Superfund Site
Construction of Groundwater
Cleanup Remedy Begins
What is Air Sparging?
Air sparging pumps air down through injection wells into groundwater to do two
things. First, it provides oxygen to naturally-occurring bacteria, enabling them to
quickly break down volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, such as benzene. Second,
the addition of air makes the chemicals evaporate faster, which makes them easier to
extract with another technology, such as soil vapor extraction, or SVE. Air sparging
is used for chemicals that evaporate easily, like those found in solvents and gaso-
line. As air bubbles move through the groundwater, they carry contaminant vapors
upward into the soil above the water table. In this deep soil VOCs can be broken
down by other bacteria. If concentrations are high enough, VOCs are then pulled
out of the soil for treatment using SVE (Figure 1).
Quick Facts About
the Groundwater
Contamination
Two treatment systems
operated from 1992 to 2002
to clean up two plumes of
groundwater and soil vapor
contaminated with benzene.
Approximately 2,711 pounds
of benzene were removed.
These systems reduced the
groundwater contamination
but were unable to clean
the groundwater to drinking
water standards (one part per
billion), so other cleanup op-
tions were evaluated.
In 2011 EPA selected air sparg-
ing as the next treatment to
use for the southern plume
(See Figure 1).
The highest concentration
of benzene in groundwater
is 160 parts per billion (ppb),
down from 350 ppb in 2012.
The benzene contamination is
approximately 60 feet below
the ground.
Figure 1: Air Sparging System
Not to scale
Contaminated Vapors
in Soil Gas
Forced Air
Air from atmosphere for
vacuum regulation
Blower or
Air Compressor
Vacuum
Blower
Air/Water
Separator
Air Emissions
Treatment
Air
Sparging
Well
Vent to
Clean Air
2 Pacifc Coast Pipeline Superfund Site
Construction Work
Installation of the air sparging system
will begin at the end of October 2014
and will be conducted in two phases.
Tis treatment system involves the
installation of three types of wells: air
sparging wells that will inject air into the
groundwater; soil vapor monitoring wells
that will detect benzene vapors in soil;
and soil vapor extraction wells that will
capture benzene vapors coming up from
the groundwater. If soil vapor concen-
trations are low, the soil vapor extraction
wells will not operate because the ben-
zene will naturally break down in the
deep soil. During Phase 1, approximate-
ly nine sparging wells will operate at the
southeast end of the Site. Ten soil vapor
monitoring wells will be installed and
monitored during this phase and three
vapor extraction wells will be installed.
Phase 2 will begin nine months later
on the west side of Pole Creek and will
add wells to enhance the cleanup system
performance (Figure 2). However, if the
Phase 1 system is able to reduce ben-
zene in groundwater to 100 ppb or less,
Phase 2 will not be implemented. Work
will be conducted from 7:30 a.m. to
5:30 p.m. on weekdays. Odor reduction
measures will be implemented.
Site Background
A refnery operated at the Pacifc Coast
Pipeline site from 1915 to 1950.
Refnery activities resulted in contami-
nated soil and groundwater. EPA placed
the site on the Superfund list in 1989
and began cleaning up the benzene in
groundwater in 1992 with two treat-
ment systems, one to pump and treat
Your Drinking Water is Safe
Drinking water for Fillmore residences and businesses comes from groundwater wells near Sespe Creek. Tis
water is regularly tested to make sure it meets all state and federal drinking water standards. Te benzene
in groundwater at the PCPL site is 60 feet below ground and has not traveled far from the former refnery
property. Groundwater from the site does not move toward the city wells and does not afect the safety of
the city water supply.
Figure 2: Confrmation Vapor Sampling Locations and Air Sparging Network
(Air sparging in southern plume only)
CONFIRMATION VAPOR SAMPLING AREAS
NORTHERN
PLUME
SOUTHERN
PLUME
LEGEND
3 October 2014
Figure 3: Benzene Contamination Plumes
Current Groundwater Flow
Direction (Approximate)
Concentrations inside limits are
greater than number (in ppb)
10
LEGEND
1
10
1
100
1
0
1
1
What About the Odor?
During the site cleanup, petroleum odor sometimes made its way into the
neighborhood. Te primary chemical responsible for this smell is naphtha-
lene. Tis odorous chemical can be smelled at levels well below those expected
to cause adverse health efects. Site air monitoring has consistently confrmed
that the concentrations of this chemical were below a level that could be a
threat to health. As there are low concentrations of petroleum remaining in
the soil, future excavation work might release low levels of naphthalene vapors
that can be smelled. For more information on environmental odors, please
visit the government website: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/odors/
What About Surface Water Runof?
Te current site drainage plan, approved and permitted by Ventura County,
calls for runof during heavy rains to drain to Pole Creek. Past runof sam-
pling showed no contamination entering Pole Creek.
the groundwater and one to remove
benzene from the vapor in soil. Tese
systems reached the limits of their ef-
fectiveness in 2002 and were shut of.
EPA evaluated other options to clean
up the remaining benzene and selected
three diferent methods that will be
implemented sequentially: air sparging,
groundwater circulation, and moni-
tored natural attenuation. From 2013
to 2014 soil contaminated with lead
and petroleum chemicals was excavated
and replaced with clean fll. Te site
drainage features required by Ventura
County have been completed and the
property is ready for commercial and
recreational use.
Additional Upcoming
Site Activities
Soil
EPA has directed Chevron to conduct
soil vapor sampling to confrm that the
site soil meets the EPA cleanup stan-
dards for VOCs. At the end of October
2014 vapor samples will be collected
from approximately 80 locations on the
site (Figure 2). Sampling will be done
with a drill rig on a small truck.
Groundwater
Tere are two plumes of contaminated
groundwater (Figure 3). Air sparging
will be used only in the southern plume
where the concentrations of benzene
remain high. In the northern plume
the concentrations of benzene are low
enough that treatment is not efective.
Monitored natural attenuation, which
involves the breakdown of benzene by
bacteria, is efectively reducing the con-
centration in this plume. Groundwater
sampling continues on a semi-annual
basis. Te next sampling will be con-
ducted in November 2014.
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region 9
75 Hawthorne Street (SFD-6-3)
San Francisco, CA 94105
Attn: J ackie Lane (PCPL 10/14)
Ofcial Business
Penalty for Private Use, $300
Address Service Requested
FIRST-CLASS MAIL
POSTAGE & FEES
PAID
U.S. EPA
Permit No. G-35
P a c i f c C o a s t P i p e l i n e
S u p e r f u n d S i t e
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