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Status Update for the Kirtland Air Force Base Bulk Fuels Facility Fuel Leak Cleanup
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The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (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. The jet fuel leak was discovered in 1999 and the site is currently regulated under the Air Force’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit. Site characterization of extent of contamination is ongoing. On August 12, 2022, the Air Force gave an update on investigation and cleanup efforts for this site to the Water Protection Advisory Board (WPAB). The Air Force presentation indicated that there is a slowing of progress at the site and that the Air Force is moving towards monitored natural attenuation (MNA), a passive remedial technique, as a final remedy for this site.
The Water Authority conducted an analysis of timeframe to cleanup the BFF jet fuel leak if MNA were to be selected as the final remedy. The results of this analysis put the time to achieve non-detect concentrations at the site on the order of 100’s of years if MNA is the selected approach for cleanup. Active remediation is required in order to minimize how long groundwater will be impacted by the jet fuel leak. Additionally, immediate implementation of active remediation will begin to remove existing fuel in the ground and will reduce the amount of contaminated groundwater while also shortening the timeframe to achieve cleanup.
The Water Authority identified the need for an additional groundwater monitoring well based on the sample data from the Water Authority’s data gap well installed in 2022 as well as the results of the MNA analysis. The Water Authority is seeking funding for the installation of an additional data gap well in order to make progress towards completing the definition of the of contaminant distribution in groundwater.
The Water Authority continues to sample nearby supply wells on a monthly basis; no fuel-related contaminants have been detected to-date.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None