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Refinery Remedial Investigations & Planning

In addition to conducting remedial investigations at this hydrogeologically complex site located above a major fault zone, TRC assessed and mitigated a chemical found in a major drinking water aquifer. ​


Client:
Fortune 500 Petroleum Refining Company

Project Location:
California




Project Challenges

TRC was tasked with addressing the discovery of Tertiary Butyl Alcohol (TBA)—a degradation product of the gasoline oxygenate MTBE—in a production well completed in the deep Silverado aquifer below the refinery.  Since the early 1990s, TRC had been conducting remedial investigations at this hydrogeologically complex site located above a major fault zone, and had developed a conceptual site model for predicting and evaluating control strategies for plume migration, as well as a risk-based Master Plan for addressing site-wide hydrocarbon impacts. Plume control strategies involving air sparging/soil vapor extraction and oxygenation to enhance natural degradation have been successful in controlling shallow plume migration without groundwater pump and treat or extensive product recovery operations.  The new challenge was to assess and mitigate TBA in the deeper aquifer, which is a major drinking water aquifer in the basin.​


Solution

TRC conducted informational meetings with regulators, and developed technical work plans to verify the conceptual site model prediction that TBA impacts were localized and contained on site by the production well pumping. The work plans involved pumping tests, monitoring well installations, and development of a calibrated, 3-D numerical groundwater flow and transport model. The work successfully demonstrated hydraulic containment and limited risk to offsite water supplies while providing a tool for evaluating source control measures.​


Benefits

Demonstration of hydraulic containment in conjunction with a coherent conceptual site model and offsite monitoring network defused a heightened level of regulatory concern and allowed the refinery to keep its 1,400 gallon-per-minute production well operating, thereby eliminating the need for purchasing and importing water while providing sufficient time to fully evaluate appropriate long-term remedial measures for the site.​