PCE abatement plan reviewed by NMED
The New Mexico Environment Department said it is reviewing a plan to investigate the extent of chemical contamination at a site in Alamogordo that could threaten soil and groundwater.
The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and the former Acme Hometown Cleaners, a dry cleaning facility that was located at 901 10th Street, reached a settlement in September 2020, after testing by the New Mexico Superfund Oversite Section (SOS) detected contamination in a monitoring well it determined could be caused by the facility. The dry cleaning business has not been in operation since 2016, according to NMED.
The Stage 1 abatement plan was meant to better define the extent of the contamination of groundwater and soil by tetrachloroethylene. The chemical is also known as perchloroethene or PCE, and is common in dry cleaner solvent.
According to the New Mexico Department of Health website, PCE are often found in solvents used in dry cleaning, fabric manufacturing and wood processing. While PCE often evaporates into the air, but can seep into water and soil and is a known carcinogenic. Breathing air contaminated with PCE can cause dizziness, confusion and headaches, and direct contact with skin or eyes can cause irritation. Ingesting the chemical can cause mental confusion or possible loss of consciousness.
The level of PCE in groundwater at the site exceeded the concentrations set by NMED when the site was first tested in 2016. When it was last tested in August, according to the abatement plan, PCE levels continued to exceed state standards in the region where groundwater occurs at around 90 feet below the surface.
When SOS tested the soil near a wastewater sump - where the facility disposed of its waste - it found contamination in the soil and that soil vapor concentrations also exceeded NMED standards.
"... the sample results near the former wastewater sump indicated significant concentrations in soil and soil gas relative to protection of groundwater and vapor intrusion," the abatement plan read.
"It is assumed that wastewater containing some spent PCE was directly discharged to the former sump."
The plan was submitted by the site's owner Sandy Ochoa and designed by EA Engineering, Science and Technology, Inc.
As part of the agreement to remediate the issue a monitoring well and "soil vapor extraction system" were installed at the site, NMED indicated. The Stage 1 abatement plan called for additional measures, including more drilling and sampling at the site.
The plan also calls for a well inventory of any private or public wells within 1 mile of the site by the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer.
In addition a monitoring well will be constructed to continue sampling of the site from October 2022 through October 2023.
NMED has 60 days to review the plan and notify the site owners of its decision to either accept or reject the proposal.
As part of the NMED's work public meetings on the issue will be scheduled.
Cleanup of the site, NMED said, would not occur until a Stage 2 abatement plan and final site investigation report concluded.
Jessica Onsurez can be reached at jonsurez@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JussGREAT.
This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: PCE abatement plan reviewed by NMED
