PADUCAH — The Department of Energy will begin working to decrease levels of a contaminant in the groundwater at a Paducah site.
According to a release from the department, a buildup of tricholoroethene contamination was discovered in soil and groundwater near the Department of Energy Paducah Site in 1990, when the plant was still diffusing uranium. The DOE says it’s located near a machine shop, which was used for fabrication, assembly, cleaning, and repairing equipment. They believe the TCE, a common industrial degreaser, came from frequently rinsing and cleaning equipment with solvents.
According to the release, the DOE evaluated several options for removing the TCE from the groundwater, and finally decided that bioremediation would be the most effective solution. The DOE Portsmouth/Paducah Office Manager stated he believed this process would “prepare the site for final cleanup actions.”
According to the DOE, bioremediation involves using high pressure water to create horizontal openings underground. The DOE plans to inject 443,000 pounds of a special metal and 220,000 pounds of sand into the openings. This will allow workers to then inject 130,000 gallons of emulsified vegetable oil and 57 gallons of TCE reducing bacteria into the openings.
According to the DOE, the injection of vegetable oil will help feed bacteria, creating better conditions for the TCE to degrade over time. They say they will monitor groundwater wells for the next several years to keep an eye on progress. They believe that the combination of bioremediation and natural degradation will naturally decrease the contaminant levels.
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