Pensacola Aviation Facility Petroleum Contamination Cleanup

PROJECTS \ CASE STUDY

Pensacola Aviation Facility Petroleum Contamination Cleanup

Cameron-Cole was designated as the Preapproval Program (now Petroleum Restoration Program or PRP) contractor by the City of Pensacola and the Pensacola International Airport (PNS) for a challenging "cluster site" consisting of the former Eastern Airlines tank farm, the former Pensacola Aeromotive fuel farm, and the existing Pensacola Aviation fueling facility. Pensacola Aviation is the contracted fuel service provider for PNS. Cameron-Cole completed assessment activities to define the horizontal and vertical extent of soil and groundwater contamination at the fuel farm, which is located within the secured AOA. Depth to groundwater has been documented to range from 60 feet to 90 feet Below Land Surface (BLS) and the vertical extent of contamination is defined at 105 feet BLS. The assessment identified a large plume of free product (Jet A) that had migrated off-site to the south beneath a roadway, impacting a federal Army Reserve facility. Free product accumulation within several on-site wells was documented to be in excess of 8 feet and the estimated volume of free product prior to implementation of remedial activities was 53,000 gallons. Cameron-Cole completed pilot testing and developed a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) specifying the use of a combination air sparging and soil vapor extraction system to treat the petroleum hydrocarbon plume. The RAP called for the installation of soil vapor extraction wells completed to 85 feet BLS and air sparge points completed to 101 feet BLS. The air sparging and soil vapor extraction system components were housed in two separate buildings located on the Pensacola International Airport property and a third building, housing a manifold system, was located on the federal Army Reserve property. After the first year of operation, the area of free product had been reduced by approximately 91% and the area of dissolved phase contaminants (approximately 61,575 square feet) had been reduced by 65%. Free product, originally present in nine groundwater monitoring wells located on both properties, was present in only one groundwater monitoring well installed within the former underground storage tank area. After approximately two years of system operation, groundwater contamination had been remediated at the federal Army Reserve property and the groundwater plume was reduced to the immediate source area. Cameron-Cole is currently conducting supplemental assessment activities to determine the extent of adsorbed contamination remaining in the smear zone and the occurrence of free product is now limited to a few inches affecting a single source area monitoring well.

Throughout its long-term involvement with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the airport, Cameron-Cole has successfully met the challenging conditions presented by the site and has also successfully closed three other PRP eligible petroleum releases reported at the airport fuel farm. Cameron-Cole has also maintained the continuity of various remedial efforts through several major restructuring initiatives of the petroleum cleanup program in Florida.