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STOLLER – DOE STAR Center
This former DOE Pinellas Plant manufactured nuclear weapons components from the mid-50’s until 1997. The site experienced DNAPL releases as well as buried drums of solvents and other wastes that caused soil and groundwater contamination. HSW was under contract with Lockheed Martin Specialty Components, Inc. (LMSC) to provide site-wide environmental restoration, monitoring, sampling, and analytical services from 1993 to June 1997 when the plant was in operation. Services included sampling groundwater, surface water, soil, and air, water level monitoring, well maintenance, database management, and monthly and quarterly reporting; RCRA TSD permit modifications and updates, closure of 4 TSD units, and clean closure of all permitted RCRA units; and closure assistance of the main manufacturing (non-waste) araes. The plant was closed in mid-1997 and MACTEC-ERS, as DOE’s new contractor, began oversight of ongoing environmental restoration activities. HSW was contracted by MACTEC to provide support services for operation and maintenance and engineering support (design, drawings, specifications, installation) of the remediation systems. In 2002, S.M. Stoller, Inc., took over the DOE contract from MACTEC and retained HSW in a continuing engineering and environmental support role.

Numerous innovative technologies have been tested at this site and HSW has provided support for them. Among the more innovative technologies tried have been in situ aneraobic bioremediation, dual rotary auger steam stripping, biosparging and in-situ thermally enhanced NAPL remediation.

In situ anaerobic bioremediation, pilot tested in 1997, involved extraction of groundwater, addition of benzoate, lactate, and methanol, and reinjection. The most effective technology was bioaugmentation. The project was generally successful with reduction rates of 70 to 99%, where nutrient breakthrough occurred. Full scale operation was not selected.

Dual rotary auger steam stripping system was operated in early 1997 in a small area of the Northeast Site. The augers were advanced to a depth of 40 feet and compressed air and steam were injected. Off gas was captured and treated. The system was generally effective with removal rates of about 70 to 95% but costs were relatively high, about $400 per cubic yard. Full scale operation was not selected.

A biosparging system was installed at the 4.5 acre site and operations began in 1999. This system was installed after several years of pump and treat and dual phase extraction system operation.

At the northeast site, a new technology (electro thermal dynamic stripping process) was pilot tested to remove chlorinated DNAPL. System construction began in May 2002, and the system was in operation from late 2002 through spring 2003. This technology is a combination of in situ electrodes to provide resistive heating, steam injection wells around the outside edge of the contaminant area, a network of collection wells inside the area. The combination of resistive heating and injected steaming converts the DNAPL to a vapor that is driven to the recovery wells for extraction. The vapor is condensed and recovered for off-site processing. HSW played an integral role during the baseline study and construction phase of the system implementation. During the baseline study, HSW performed sampling and lithological identification. During the construction phase, HSW was tasked to install the steam injection wells and to identify the Hawthorn Formation for proper placement of these wells. Sampling results from the pilot test have been promising with groundwater and soil results at or below their respective clean up target levels. Due to the success of the pilot study, this technology is being implemented into a second area that is four times larger than the pilot study. HSW has provided support for work on the second area.

HSW has provided continuing operation and maintenance support for other remediation systems at the site, including two horizontal tray air strippers and numerous recovery wells. HSW has performed air emission modeling and permit support for the site’s synthetic-non-Tile V air permit since 1998, including permit renewals, modification, certification testing, and insignificant source determination. Air modeling was used to determine potential impacts to neighbors and to demonstrate compliance with permitted emission limits.