Indian Bend Wash: Construction Complete

Feature Story: Indian Bend Wash, Construction Complete

Transcript

Narrator: In the arid southwest, in an area just east of Phoenix at the Indian Bend Wash Superfund Site, drinking water is a precious commodity. Now a major achievement has occurred, not just for the citizens of this area, but for the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Program. We are celebrating the completion of construction of facilities to remedy one of the largest contaminated groundwater sites in the EPA's history.

Jamey Watt, Remedial Project Manager, US EPA
Construction completion is important because it signifies to the community that we’ve done everything possible in constructing the remediation systems and that everything is operating effectively and efficiently.

Narrator: Systems to clean up the soil and groundwater are up and running, groundwater is being treated in plants in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, and is now being served as clean, safe drinking water to thousands of local residents.

The arrival of the semi-conductor industry to portions of Scottsdale and Tempe in the 1950s helped fuel explosive population growth that continues to this day. The booming population, coupled with the dry desert environment made this groundwater reclamation project extremely important.

Jamey Watt, Remedial Project Manager, US EPA
The drinking water supplies in those areas are very highly valued and are of a concern.

Narrator: The 13-square mile site was first given Superfund status in 1983, and contained dozens of facilities and numerous groundwater plumes containing a man-made chemical used primarily as a degreasing solvent called try-chloro-ethylene, or TCE. The biggest plume stretched almost five miles in length.

Jamey Watt, Remedial Project Manager, US EPA
Once it was into dry wells, then -- the dry wells were unlined -- so the TCE, the solvent -- would eventually migrate down through the soil and enter into the groundwater table. Because the Indian Bend Wash Superfund site was so big and complex, EPA decided early on to split the site up into two different study areas. One, NIBW -- which is North Indian Bend Wash – was to the north of the Salt River and primarily in and around the Scottsdale area, and the second study area was SIBW – which is South Indian Bend Wash – and is in and around the area of Tempe, AZ.

Narrator: The highest TCE concentrations were found in the north, and fortunately for the EPA the major companies responsible for the contamination immediately came forward and have worked with us every step of the way. Those companies include Motorola, Siemans, and SmithKline-Beecham. Each company cleaned up its own facility first and then worked together to capture and clean up the largest shared plumes. And while the EPA is celebrating the contruction completion of these remedies today, we have actually been pumping and treating the groundwater since 1994.

In the south, the challenge was a bit different. The contamination level wasn't as high but it was widely dispersed throughout the area, and a soil treatment remedy was mainly used. The Arizona Public Service, IMC Magnetics, and others stepped up to do their own cleanup and where the EPA couldn't find liable parties, both federal and state funding picked up the slack.

Along with our partners, we have treated 61 billion gallons of water, and in the process removed more than 57,000 pounds of TCE from the groundwater. Amazingly, the combined extraction system treats enough water to fill 800 swimming pools every day.

The EPA couldn't have done the work without several public agencies as well, such as; the City of Scottsdale, which operates the biggest groundwater treatment plant. The treated water is then blended into the local drinking water system.

Mary Manross, Mayor of Scottsdale: The project is not over but today the water is very safe, totally reliable, and either meets or exceeds all of our standards here in Scottsdale and the EPA’s standards. That’s important for people to understand so they’ll know what this designation process is all about.

Narrator: The Arizona American Water Company operates the Miller Road facility and serves the treated water to its customers. The Salt River Project has assisted the EPA over the years with its purveying system throughout the valley as well as many other tasks. In the south, the City of Tempe has also provided invaluable assistance. Finally, the Indian Bend Wash site is a great example of the progress the EPA and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality have made together and continue to make on other major cleanups throughout the state.

Michael Montgomery, Branch Chief, Superfund
I’ve learned from EPA’s involvement at the site the importance of the collaboration that has to happen in order for environmental problems to be solved.

Narrator: From the beginning we've had a very active community. The community involvement group was formed in the mid-1990s, and for the last decade they've kept us all on our toes and we look forward to continuing that collaboration.

Jamey Watt, Remedial Project Manager, US EPA
EPA and it’s relationship with the community we take very seriously. Again this is a site we’ve been working on for almost 25 years, and we’ve tried to keep the community informed throughout this process.

Narrator: The EPA conducted a tour of the treatment facilities to help the community better understand the issues and to get a first-hand look at what's being done to protect citizens.

Jamey Watt, Remedial Project Manager, US EPA
We have a lot of work left ahead of us but the fact that we have completed construction on all the major remedies is a significant milestone.

Narrator: On Dec 4, 2006, the Construction Completion Ceremony was held in Scottsdale to celebrate all the long years of hard work and to thank and recognize all the companies, agencies, and community activists involved over the years. Because of the longevity and sheer size of the site, many were in attendance with many stories to tell. The EPA is proud to celebrate this major milestone, a true collaborative effort.

Mary Manross, Mayor of Scottsdale: I think we can all be really proud of what we’ve accomplished, and thank you to the EPA for helping us to get there.