WorldWide Drilling Resource

77 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® MARCH 2015 year. The new well is designed to treat groundwater contamination in the area. Scottsdale resident Charles Yeldell said he is not bothered by the drilling seen from many places throughout his neighborhood. “They’re just protecting anyone who gets their water supply from the site,” said Yeldell. “I’d rather them replace it than leave me with bad water.” Contamination Cleanup in Arizona Compiled by Amy White, Associate Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® The Indian Bend Wash Superfund Site covers roughly 13 square miles in Scottsdale and Tempe, Arizona. The North Indian Bend Wash (NIBW) is part of this site, and was placed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) National Priorities List in 1983. Numerous industrial facilities are located in the NIBW area. Unti l the 1970s, before current environmental regulations existed, industrial solvents containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were usually disposed of directly onto the ground or in dry wells. These disposal practices contributed to ground- water contamination. Groundwater contamination in the area was discovered in 1981, when ele- vated levels of VOCs including trichloro- ethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), and chloroform were found in several Scottsdale-area drinking water wells. As a result, local water providers stopped using those wells for drinking water. All drinking water in the Scottsdale area is now provided by municipal drink- ing water suppliers. This water cannot be served to customers unless it meets all drinking water standards set by the Safe Drinking Water Act. Historically, the Indian Bend Wash was a natural desert wash emptying into the Salt River. It now consists of a series of linked ponds surrounded by irrigated recreational areas such as parks and golf courses. Groundwater was once used to fill these ponds, and for irrigation. After VOCs were detect- ed in the surface water and sediment of some of the ponds in 1984, the City of Scottsdale stopped using groundwa- ter to fill the ponds. By 1988, analysis of surface water and sediment in the ponds demonstrat- ed contamination was no longer pres- ent. Since then, NIBW cleanup efforts have focused on groundwater and soil. To treat extracted groundwater, the Central Groundwater Treatment Facility (CGTF) was constructed, and began operation in 1994. The CGTF treats contaminated groundwater using a technology known as air stripping, and pro- vides treated water to the city of Scottsdale. Groundwater treatment is anticipated to be necessary for about 40 more years. Scottsdale officials and environ- mental regulators gathered to mark the opening of a new state-of-the-art water treatment facility earlier this year. The facility will ensure about 3 million gal- lons of clean drinking water every day to Scottsdale residents. This $4 million facility represents efforts being made by companies to meet their cleanup responsibilities. “We have accepted our portion of the responsibility of the cleanup effort. This is just an additional piece of what we call the ‘environmental remediation effort’,” said Terry Lockwood, Motorola Solutions program manager for global environmental remediation. Workers replace old wells on an as-needed basis. An old well on the corner of Miller and Thomas roads in Scottsdale was replaced earlier this Cleanup workers take samples at a leaking storage tank site.Assessingwhich contaminants are present is the first step in the cleanup process. Photo cour- tesy of the EPA. Here are some unusual uses for common toothpaste: Clean Piano Keys - Use toothpaste to clean dingy keys and wipe down with a damp cloth. Water Rings - Did someone forget to use a coaster? Gently buff the ring out with a slightly dampened cloth and a dab of toothpaste. Get Rid of Collar Stains - Tackle grimy collar stains with toothpaste and a toothbrush, rinse, and launder. *These tips are based on using plain toothpaste, not gels, tartar-control, or whitening formulas.