A plan to recover and treat contaminated liquid from a hazardous-waste disposal site near Hill Air Force Base has been recommended, officials say.
The proposal - identified as Operable Unit 2 (Chemical Disposal Pit 3) - calls for interim remedial action including construction of a system for pretreatment of recovered groundwater.The interim action precedes final comprehensive measures to finish the project, Air Force officials said.
Between 1967 and 1979, large volumes of chlorinated and non-chlorinated solvent bottoms were disposed at Unit 2 and were subsequently determined to have contaminated the shallow, underlying soil and groundwater.
Hazardous chemicals known to exist in the soils and water at the site include trichloroethylene 111, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethylene and toluene.
"Even though the selection of the final alternative for cleanup is 14 months away and cleanup more than three years away, Hill has decided to begin recovery of the organic liquid now," said Capt. Edward Heyse, manager of the Installation Restoration Program at Hill.
"It doesn't make any sense to wait more than three years to get on with the cleanup when contaminants remain in the ground," he added.
The interim remedial action is designed to recover and treat organic liquids at the site.
Meantime, experts have determined that a second area, known as the Spoils Area, had low concentrations of organics and requires no further action.
The initial phase of the IRP identified several disposal sites on the east side of the base along the Davis Weber Canal. The areas have subsequently been labeled as Landfills 1, 2, 3, 4; Chemical Disposal Pits 1, 2, 3; and the Spoils Area.
Air Force officials said there is no immediate danger to humans or wildlife from the sites.
Each area is being studied under separate work orders with final reports and recommendations to follow.