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CLEANUP OF GROUNDWATER BEGINS AT TUBA CITY THRIFTWAY GAS STATION

Release Date: 9/28/2000
Contact Information: Contact: Wendy L. Chavez, 415/744-1588 For Immediate Release: September 28, 2000

SAN FRANCISCO -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved a pilot plan for a new cleanup technology to be installed at the Tuba City Thriftway (Navajo Trails) gas station to remove gasoline contamination in soil and groundwater.  Installation began at the intersection of Highways 160 and 264 last April and the treatment system has been fully operational since September 17.

     To remove the contamination, air is being pumped into the ground, where it bubbles through the groundwater.  The gasoline evaporates into the air bubbles and is extracted at the surface. This cleanup technology has been proven effective in reducing concentrations of volatile organic compounds found in petroleum products at underground storage tank sites across the Southwest.  
 
     "This is a great step toward cleaning up the site," said Lester Kaufman, the EPA's chief of the Underground Storage Tanks Office in the Pacific Southwest region.  "We thank the Navajo and Hopi tribes for their dedication and commitment toward protecting their communities' environment and public health."  

     The Hopi Environmental Protection Office, the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency, and the EPA will monitor the cleanup technology's progress for 90 days to decide if it addresses the contamination.  If the technology works well, it will also be used on the SunWest (Superfuels) gas station and the Tuba City Truck Stop.  The process is anticipated to take 3 to 5 years.

     In 1996 the EPA ordered the Tuba City Thriftway and SunWest facilities to investigate underground contamination from leaking fuel tanks and pipes.  Since that time, over 80 monitoring wells have been installed to identify the boundaries of an underground petroleum plume and determine if there is groundwater contamination beyond the two facilities' leaseholds.

Details regarding EPA's Administrative Order can be found at the following locations:

Tuba City Public Library             Lower Village of Moenkopi  
Community Center  Box 190            P.O. Box 1709
Tuba City, AZ  86045                 Tuba City, AZ 86045
Tel. (520) 283-5856                  Tel. (520) 283-5223

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