Levelland Superfund Site Employs C3 Technology

By: Duane Craig

Results from latest sampling of Levelland, Texas Superfund site

Results of the latest round of groundwater sampling at the State Road 114 Groundwater Plume Superfund site in Levelland, Texas, should be available soon, according to the latest Environmental Protection Agency update on the site.

The current environmental issues list at this site includes “1,2-dichloroethane, or DCA, and benzene plumes in the Ogallala Aquifer that extends from west to east (in the direction of groundwater flow) along State Highway 114 for approximately 1.5 miles from the former Motor Fuels Corporation property to the City of Levelland municipal park.”

Benzene contamination is as high as 19,000 parts per billion, and DCA reaches 380 parts per billion. Both substances are only considered safe at 5 parts per billion. Twenty eight private and public water wells have been affected, and water from the Ogallala is the only reliable source of high-quality drinking water for this area.

There is a soil vapor extraction system in place that has recovered more than 185,000 gallons of refined condensate from below the refinery responsible for the contamination. A groundwater treatment system has also treated and returned 27 million gallons of water to the aquifer. The treatment process started with air stripping and was followed by chemical precipitation. One unique aspect of this remediation process is that the reclaimed chemicals are collected using C3 technology and then recycled or sold. C3 technology eliminates air emissions from the treatment process and reduces its carbon footprint.