Whitehouse Oil Pits Clean Up

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Whitehouse Oil Pits Clean Up

• Jacksonville Florida.
• By
• mahmoud reza shakib and
• K.C Ojum

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Site Description

• Whitehouse oil pits occupies approximately
  29000m2 of upland area in the Whitehouse
  community, West of Jacksonville, USA.
• The Oil Pit was previously owned by Allied
  petroleum.
• Waste dumped into the pits included acid, clay
  sludge and oil waste.
• Occasionally, the pit levee have ruptured and
  spilled contaminants into adjacent property and
  into the McGirts creek.
• Allied petroleum went bankrupt and the site was
  abandoned.
• City council took ownership of the property by
  tax default.

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McGirts Creek.
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Brief History

• 1958 1968 Pits constructed and filled.
• 1976 The dike around one of the pits collapsed,
  spilling about 200,000 gallons of waste material
  into wetlands.
• 1976 The second pit released its contents,
  contaminating the area.
• 1985 US environmental protection agency chose a
  containment remedy to address soil contamination
  and a pump and treat system was adopted for
  contaminated ground water.
• 1992 EPA modified the containment remedy.

• 1995 - 1997 Feasibility studies undertaken
  showed that the containment remedy of 1992
  demonstrated that the soil treatment and
  groundwater treatment did not adequately address
  the site contamination.

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• 1998 EPA issued an amended record of decision.
• 2000 Amended record of decision approved for the
  contamination site.
• 2001 Negotiations for the potentially
  responsible parties for the remedial action was
  successfully completed.
• 2003 On-site construction activities started.
• 2004 Solidification and stabilization of soil
  over the waste pit oil area began.
• 2005 Installation of wall barriers completed.
• 2006 Construction of composite drainage layer
  and well installation monitor was completed.
• 2006 All substantial elements of the physical
  construction of the remedy completed.

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The Problem

• As a result of the pit spill, groundwater and
  surface water aquifer beneath the site got
  contaminated.
• Most residents in the area use private wells as a
  source for drinking water.
• Aquatic life contaminated.
• Soil and sediment contaminated.
• Contamination consisted of heavy metals,
  polychlorinated biphenyl compounds, semi-volatile
  organic compounds and volatile organic compounds.

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Adopted Remedial Method

• A water treatment system was used to drain the
  contaminated liquid from the pits.
• The physical stability of the waste was improved
  by placement of construction debris and other
  backfill materials.
• A combination of soil washing, biological
  treatments, solidification/stabilization was used
  for treatment of waste in the pits.
• A soil cover was placed over the fill and it was
  seeded.
• Surface runoff was controlled by the construction
  of ditches.
• Realignment of the McGirts creek to optimize the
  area of ground water containment.
• Controlled access by the construction of a fence.

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• Placing, Compacting Slurry Wall Platform Fill

• Creek Realignment Excavation

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• Excavation of contaminated offsite wetlands
  sediments with on-site disposal.
• Installation of vertical barrier to isolate and
  contain contaminated soil, sludge and
  groundwater.
• Solidification/Stabilization process undertaken
  across the former pits area.
• Installation of RCRA-type cap over the vertical
  barrier.
• Selective clearing of trees and brush.
• Restoration of the wetlands area to pre-existing
  grade using a clean cofferdam material and a
  blend of topsoil and woodchips from the selective
  clearing.
• Trees were then grown in the area.

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• Excavating Contaminated Soil from McGirts Creek

• Constructing the Weir

• Slurry Mixing Pond

• Addition of Bentonite to the Slurry Mixing Pond

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Alternative solutions

• Air Sparging process.
• Electrokinetic process
• An electric field is applied to the soil to
  either stabilize the contaminants in situ or to
  mobilize them for extraction.
• Soil vapour extraction systems.
• Construction of a permeable reactive barrier
  treatment wall.

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Summary

• All the physical constructions of the remedy were
  completed in 2006.
• The operation and maintenance plan for the site
  has been approved and the activities are
  currently taking place.
• The activities includes routine inspection,
  ground water monitoring and inspection/maintenance
  of vegetative cover and other plants.
• The remedy adheres strictly to current health,
  safety and environmental regulations.
• Initial ground water monitor indicates the remedy
  has been effective.

• Current aerial view of Whitehouse oil pit.

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• Thank you for listening!