New Mexico officials acknowledge team behind Kirtland cleanup progress

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Schneider
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The Air Force Civil Engineer Center marked a significant milestone in the cleanup of a fuel leak Aug. 13 with the activation of a groundwater treatment system here.

Gov. Susana Martinez, members of the state's congressional delegation and other officials joined Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James to highlight the first time contaminated groundwater has been treated since the leak was detected in 1999, and applaud the teamwork responsible for the achievement.

"Our environment department staff has worked hard to build a strong relationship with Air Force staff and local communities and has led to greater teamwork, and I think that's a key word. Teamwork is what has made this move forward," Martinez said.

The new system is part of the Air Force's strategy to clean up contamination resulting from the leak and prevent it from ever reaching the city's drinking water supply.
Dr. Adria Bodour, AFCEC's technical lead for the project, was recognized by several officials for her scientific expertise and role in rebuilding community trust and support for the project.

"I want to say a special thanks to the person who, I think, has been the face of changing that crisis of trust to a relationship of trust, Dr. Adria Bodour," said Senator Martin Heinrich. "Her expertise, her knowledge, her transparency with our neighbors, her commitment to make this right, in my view, was a turning point from a crisis of trust to a community of trust and of teamwork again."

Bernalillo County Commissioner Maggie Hart-Stebbins also praised Bodour's efforts.
"Her expertise and commitment to this project have accelerated the pace of the cleanup and, more importantly, her ability to articulate to our concerned community what the Air Force is doing, has begun to change the public attitude from one of distrust to one of cautious optimism," Hart-Stebbins said.

Since the system's activation in June, more than two million gallons of contaminated water have been extracted and treated.

While activation of the treatment system is an important milestone, this is just one step in the long-term strategy for achieving all soil and groundwater cleanup goals, Bodour said.

The Air Force plans to expand the groundwater treatment system through the addition of up to two additional extraction wells by the end of the year. Using data generated from the three extraction wells, in addition to existing monitoring and sentinel wells, a joint Air Force-NMED technical team will consider installation of up to five more extraction wells in 2016.

At full capacity, the system will be capable of treating up to 800 gallons of contaminated water per minute. Through this treatment, Air Force and New Mexico Environment Department officials estimate the plume will collapse back to base boundaries within 10 years.