The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will begin the second phase of the interim cleanup at the CTS of Asheville Superfund Site (Site) in October 2019.
The cleanup will use In-Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO) to treat trichloroethylene (TCE) contamination in a 1.9-acre area at 235 Mills Gap Road, Asheville. ISCO involves injection of chemicals into the ground to oxidize and break down contaminants into harmless byproducts like carbon dioxide and water. The area to be treated is north of the area that was successfully treated by Electrical Resistance Heating (ERH) in 2018.
The ISCO treatment at the Site was required under a March 7, 2017, interim cleanup settlement between EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice with the responsible parties: CTS Corporation, Mills Gap Road Associates and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation. EPA expanded the interim cleanup to include this second phase in response to public input.
To date, the companies have spent an estimated $5 million on the ERH phase. The ISCO phase is expected to cost an additional $4 million. The interim cleanup, which is expected to take several years, will be followed by a final site-wide cleanup to address any contamination remaining after the ERH and ISCO treatment technologies have had a chance to work. EPA and the potentially responsible parties will complete the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study to evaluate options for the final remedy. EPA will then propose the plan to the public for input before selecting the final remedy.
For more information, visit the EPA website at https://www.epa.gov/superfund/cts-millsgap.