Richmond, Va. –
Defense Logistics Agency Installation Operations Richmond personnel, community members, and Restoration Advisory Board members held their quarterly meeting Oct. 15 at the Bensley Community Center in Chesterfield County, Virginia, to discuss current remediation operations on Defense Supply Center Richmond.
The RAB is comprised of members from the community, DLA, the Environmental Protection Agency, Chesterfield County Environmental Engineering and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. “We consider what goes on within our environmental program to be an open book,” said Jimmy Parrish, chief of the installation’s Environmental Management Division. “We formed the RAB in 2001 to allow us to update our neighbors and stakeholders regarding our challenges and the progress being made within our restoration program.” The board’s current work focuses on groundwater affected by several sites on the installation, including the open storage area, the former landfill area and the National Guard equipment maintenance area. The board has been actively monitoring water quality at these sites while the installation has implemented processes to ensure groundwater is protected from contaminants.
Operable Unit 8, the site of a former acid neutralization pit operation located adjacent to Building 65, was the focus of the Oct. 15 meeting. Environmental contractor Arcadis, which leads the remediation process, installed equipment for a groundwater recirculation project that allows contaminated water to flow into collection wells, where it is extracted and treated with activated carbon to remove contaminants. This clean water is then injected back into the ground to flush additional contaminants out as the system cycles through. This extraction-injection process is continually repeated.
The site is monitored for various chlorinated solvents. Tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, is a manufactured chemical used in metal degreasing. Trichloroethylene, or TCE, is primarily used as a cleaning solvent for metal parts. 1, 2-dichloroethylene and vinyl chloride are by-products generated from the breakdown of the first two chemicals.
“The recent progress seen from groundwater recirculation has been outstanding,” said David Hufford, environmental engineer with the installation operations’ Environmental Management Division. “The previous area of solvent contamination has shrunk by approximately 70 percent in area size from 2014.”
The RAB’s next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2019, and is open to the public. The RAB is co-chaired by Hufford and community representative Janet Moe, a nearby neighbor. RAB membership is open to the public and applicants are selected based on their representation of diverse interests in the local community. Preference is given to applicants who are most affected by the restoration process.
For more information on RAB, contact David Hufford at 804-279-6207.