News Releases from Region 07

Cleanup Complete at Cleburn Street Well Superfund Site in Grand Island, Nebraska

Eddy Street underpass to close for two weeks

Contact Information: Ben Washburn (washburn.ben@epa.gov) 913-551-7364

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Lenexa, Kan., April 5, 2019) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 announced that it has completed the Remedial Action phase at the Cleburn Street Well Superfund Site in Grand Island, Nebraska. The Eddy Street underpass will close for two weeks, from April 8 through April 22, to allow for the removal of the thermal treatment system and restoration of the pavement.

EPA used a thermal treatment system at the site to address soil and groundwater contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and petroleum hydrocarbons. Thermal treatment heats the soil and groundwater to near boiling temperatures. The heating mobilizes the contaminants, which are collected through an extraction system for safe disposal.

“The success of the cleanup at the Cleburn Street site demonstrates the speed and effectiveness of the thermal cleanup technology,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford. “Post-cleanup samples of soil and groundwater confirm that thermal treatment removed more than 99 percent of the contaminants in just six months.”

Thermal treatment of the contamination at the site allowed EPA to address the source area of contamination, without the need for extensive excavation that would result in long-term disruption of traffic on a popular road at the site. Additional benefits of thermal treatment included greater energy efficiency, less long-term cost, and the ability to address non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) at the site, such as TCE, which other technologies are unable to effectively treat.

EPA coordinated the closure of the Eddy Street underpass with the city of Grand Island. All four lanes of the underpass will be open after April 22.

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