Industrial activity at Air Force Plant 44 (AFP 44), a manufacturing facility located on property owned by the U.S. Air Force and operated by a major defense contractor, resulted in extensive contamination of groundwater with the industrial solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) and other organic compounds. The sole-source regional aquifer underlying AFP 44 provides potable water for municipal, commercial, private, and industrial supplies for the City of Tucson, the municipality of South Tucson, adjacent areas of Pima County, and the Tohono O’odham Nation. Contamination of the aquifer with organic solvents and stabilizers in the area surrounding the Tucson International Airport has been an issue of public concern since being discovered in 1981.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified contaminants in the upper several hundred feet of the regional aquifer underlying areas around the Tucson Airport and identified a number of sources of contamination, including some at AFP 44. The area having contaminated groundwater was designated the Tucson International Airport Area (TIAA) Superfund Site and the U.S. Air Force was given the responsibility for cleanup activities for part of the site. Although large quantities of contaminants have been removed from the subsurface at AFP 44, cleanup activities initiated in 1987 have not yet been successful for complete and permanent aquifer restoration.
OBJECTIVES
The primary objective of this project is to provide technical assistance to the Aeronautical Systems Center (ASC) of the U.S. Air Force for their oversight responsibilities for remediation activities being conducted by contractors at Air Force Plant 44. Additional responsibilities are to provide public information relevant to groundwater contamination at AFP 44 and other areas of the Tucson International Airport Area (TIAA) Superfund Site, remediation activities, and associated geohydrologic and technical issues.
APPROACH
Recent projects by the USGS in the area include an investigation of the extent and trends in 1,4-dioxane contamination in groundwater and an investigation of hexavalent and total chromium in groundwater.
RELEVANCE AND BENEFITS
USGS participation in field activities at AFP 44 enables it to provide appropriate technical assistance to the Air Force and provide accurate information to the public and policy makers. Because water supplies of the Tucson area are a critical concern to the community at large, decisions involving these resources require that the public have access to unbiased technical information.
Industrial activity at Air Force Plant 44 (AFP 44), a manufacturing facility located on property owned by the U.S. Air Force and operated by a major defense contractor, resulted in extensive contamination of groundwater with the industrial solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) and other organic compounds. The sole-source regional aquifer underlying AFP 44 provides potable water for municipal, commercial, private, and industrial supplies for the City of Tucson, the municipality of South Tucson, adjacent areas of Pima County, and the Tohono O’odham Nation. Contamination of the aquifer with organic solvents and stabilizers in the area surrounding the Tucson International Airport has been an issue of public concern since being discovered in 1981.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified contaminants in the upper several hundred feet of the regional aquifer underlying areas around the Tucson Airport and identified a number of sources of contamination, including some at AFP 44. The area having contaminated groundwater was designated the Tucson International Airport Area (TIAA) Superfund Site and the U.S. Air Force was given the responsibility for cleanup activities for part of the site. Although large quantities of contaminants have been removed from the subsurface at AFP 44, cleanup activities initiated in 1987 have not yet been successful for complete and permanent aquifer restoration.
OBJECTIVES
The primary objective of this project is to provide technical assistance to the Aeronautical Systems Center (ASC) of the U.S. Air Force for their oversight responsibilities for remediation activities being conducted by contractors at Air Force Plant 44. Additional responsibilities are to provide public information relevant to groundwater contamination at AFP 44 and other areas of the Tucson International Airport Area (TIAA) Superfund Site, remediation activities, and associated geohydrologic and technical issues.
APPROACH
Recent projects by the USGS in the area include an investigation of the extent and trends in 1,4-dioxane contamination in groundwater and an investigation of hexavalent and total chromium in groundwater.
RELEVANCE AND BENEFITS
USGS participation in field activities at AFP 44 enables it to provide appropriate technical assistance to the Air Force and provide accurate information to the public and policy makers. Because water supplies of the Tucson area are a critical concern to the community at large, decisions involving these resources require that the public have access to unbiased technical information.