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| From left: Jan Schaefer, President of the Mastic Beach Property Owners' Association; Brookhaven Town Supervisor Felix Grucci; Michael Schlender, BNL's Assistant Director for Environmental Management; Carlee Beecher, a BNL field engineer. Ms. Schaefer and Mr. Grucci learned how the new treatment system operates from Mr. Schlender and Ms. Beecher. |
First off-site groundwater system begins cleaning aquifer
In September 1999, the first groundwater treatment system located off of Lab property became operational. On September 23, the U.S. Department of Energy and Brookhaven National Laboratory held a ceremony marking the startup of this system. A number of key individuals attended this ceremony, including Suffolk County Legislator Mike Caracciolo, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Felix Grucci, a representative from Congressman Michael Forbes' office, and leaders of local civic and community groups.
This new treatment system, located in an industrial park just south of the Lab and the Long Island Expressway, uses a cutting-edge technology called "in-well air stripping." This technology treats water within the wells to remove chemicals such as the degreasing agent carbon tetrachloride. The clean water is then returned to the ground. Each of the seven wells in this system treats 60 gallons of water per minute.
"The commissioning of this facility marks another positive step in BNL's commitment to environmental stewardship," said Michael Schlender, Assistant Laboratory Director of Environmental Management. "It is the result of cooperation between state, county, local and community groups, all of which banded together to make it happen."
This groundwater treatment system is the first of several that will be constructed in locations south of the Lab over the next several years. Four treatment systems on Lab property are already operational. All groundwater treatment systems are planned to be operational by 2006.
On-site water cleanup continues
In early October, a new groundwater treatment system began operating on Lab property. This system will remove a solvent called carbon tetrachloride from groundwater near the center of the Lab. This contamination entered the groundwater in 1998 from a leaking tank during the tank's excavation. The carbon tetrachloride is confined to a small area because the leak occurred so recently. The new treatment system was installed during the summer of 1999. The rapid installation of this system ensured that the groundwater contamination would not spread to drinking water wells on or off Lab property.