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Status Update for the Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility Fuel Leak Cleanup
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The Water Authority continues to monitor the progress of corrective action activities being conducted by the U.S. Air Force and the Air Force Civil Engineering Center (AFCEC) to address the Bulk Fuels Facility (BFF) jet fuel leak that has contaminated the aquifer near the Ridgecrest Well Field. Recent activities have included the following:
• Drilling and installation of new groundwater monitoring wells screened across the water table to address outstanding data gap;
• Collection of soil cores in the source area to define the nature and extent of remaining fuel in the ground;
• Preliminary testing of the bioventing interim measure;
• Continued operation of the pump and treat system interim measure; and
• Continued site monitoring of groundwater and soil vapor.
On February 25, 2019 the New Mexico Environment Department sent Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) a letter detailing five items that the Air Force is required to be in compliance with their Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit. In the letter are deadlines for delivering data, reports, and work plans necessary to continue progress towards remediating the contamination and failure to meet the deadlines will be considered by the NMED to be violations of the permit and subject to enforcement action.
NMED and the Air Force have held three informational meetings and one public meeting since their last presentation to the Water Authority governing board in March 2018. The NMED and Air Force are co-hosting a public meeting Thursday, April 25, 2019.
STAFF COMMENTS:
The interim pump and treat system is currently operational and consists of four groundwater extraction wells. Groundwater monitoring data from the Fourth Quarter of 2018 show an overall reduction of the ethylene dibromide (EDB) plume footprint north of Ridgecrest Drive. During a recent stakeholder meeting, the Air Force claimed that the pump and treat system has removed greater than 80 percent of the EDB in groundwater; we believe that this statement may overrepresent the removal of EDB. The existing pump and treat system was designed to reduce EDB concentrations north of Ridgecrest Drive, but was not designed to remove EBD north of KAFB nor in the source area. Water Authority staff continue to remain concerned about data gaps in the source area and about how the Air Force is evaluating performance of the pump and treat system.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None