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Cleanup of soil and groundwater contamination at the Pemaco Superfund site, located in Maywood, Calif. will begin later in 2005.
The EPA will place a soil cover over the entire site and establish
plant growth to stabilize the soil. Contaminated groundwater and soil vapor
will be extracted using vacuum pumps. The groundwater will be treated with an
ultraviolet oxidation system, and the soil vapor will be treated with a flameless
thermal oxidation system.
In the most contaminated areas, the EPA will use electrical resistence heating
to heat the soil and groundwater to vaporize the contaminants, making them easier
to treat. In addition, the agency is installing backup systems to collect any
additional vapors that might be released from the system.
“The EPA wants to accomplish three things at the Pemaco Superfund site — reduce the risk of contaminated soils and soil vapors rising to the surface; restore groundwater to Safe Drinking Water Act standards; and make sure that this site is no longer an environmental threat to the surrounding community,” said Elizabeth Adams, chief of Superfund cleanup.
The Pemaco Superfund site is on the grounds of a former chemical blending facility. Environmental assessments performed at the Pemaco site have identified soil and groundwater contamination with volatile organic compounds, such as tetrachloroethene, a cleaning solvent, and vinyl chloride. Exposure to tetrachloroethylene can cause dizziness, nausea and unconsciousness and in extreme cases, death.
The EPA added the Pemaco site to the National Priorities List in 1999, making it eligible for cleanup under Superfund. The cleanup is expected to cost approximately $13 million. The EPA is paying for all cleanup activities at the Pemaco Site because the former company no longer exists.