REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPMENT FORUM
NON-AQUEOUS PHASE LIQUID (NAPL) CLEANUP ALLIANCE

Progress Report
Second and Third Quarters 2001

Introduction

The Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (NAPL) Cleanup Alliance was established early in 2001 as one of the six active Action Teams under the Remediation Technologies Development Forum (RTDF). The RTDF fosters collaboration between the public and private sectors in developing innovative solutions to mutual hazardous waste problems. The Alliance is made up of representatives from the petroleum industry, federal and state government, and academia who share an interest in evaluating a range of technologies for remediation and management of large-scale, non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) contamination.

This report documents progress of the NAPL Cleanup Alliance during the second and third quarters of 2001.

Accomplishments

1. Randy Breeden, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8, and Mark Lyverse, Chevron Research and Technology Company, co-chaired the second Alliance meeting in June 2001. The agenda for the meeting included updates on the work of the three Alliance Working Groups (see 2-4 below), discussion of additional NAPL sites for potential Alliance projects, and a briefing on the revised draft "Handbook of Ground Water Protection and Cleanup Policies for RCRA Corrective Action."
2. The Texaco Project Technical Working Group continued work on a pilot a project to address NAPL contamination at a Texaco refinery site in Casper, WY. The goal of the project is to remove contaminant mass, through a combination of active and passive remediation systems, and reduce contaminant concentrations below risk-based standards, so that the site would be considered acceptable for future re-use. (Facility-related off-site migration already is being addressed and the site is stable.) During this quarter, the Technical Working Group has begun developing plans for investigation and passive remediation evaluation of the site. In addition to conventional investigative techniques—fluid elevations, hydrocarbon sampling and analysis, groundwater/soil sampling and analysis—the Working Group is considering three innovative technologies for use in the investigation. These are the Site Characterization and Analysis Penetrometer System (SCAPS), the GORE-SORBER^®, and Subsurface Gas (CO₂) Probes. These innovative technologies not only can be less costly and more accurate than conventional methods, but also can provide an improved understanding of complex NAPL distribution and heterogeneity and of NAPL mobility and recoverability. The Working Group expects to complete investigation and evaluation of the site by year's end.
3. The Decision Framework Working Group is developing an outline for a decision-making framework that describes how to address large-scale sites that have significant NAPL issues resulting in relatively large and prolonged expenditures. The Working Group expects to produce a draft outline for review by Alliance members, incorporate comments and prepare a draft for external review by September 2001.
4. The Technical Information Working Group is cooperating with an ongoing project for the Ground-Water Remediation Technologies Analysis Center (GWRTAC), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, to compile a searchable database of existing information on NAPL research and cleanup projects in the United States and Europe. The database is expected to be completed late in 2001, and the information will be made available via the Internet. The Alliance (www.rtdf.org/public/napl/) and GWRTAC (www.gwrtac.org) will provide access to the database via their Internet sites. In addition, the Alliance and GWRTAC will share other electronic features in order to provide a comprehensive source of information and vehicle for information exchange for industry, government, and academia.
5. Alliance members participate in periodic conference calls to discuss project progress and organizational issues. The next Alliance meeting is expected to be in November 2001.