New monitoring well reveals jet fuel Published April 13, 2007 By Kirtland Civil Engineering Restoration Section 377th Civil Engineer Division KRITLAND AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico -- As part of an ongoing effort to clean up contamination of soil and groundwater from an aviation/jet fuel leak at the base's bulk fuels facility discovered in 1999, a new groundwater monitoring well was installed a few hundred yards northeast of the original leak in February. Shortly thereafter, aviation-type fuel was detected floating on the groundwater in the monitor well. The new well, installed to a depth of approximately 485 feet, is located just north of Randolph Avenue, at the entrance to the bulk fuels facility. Mark Holmes, project manager with the environmental restoration section of the 377th Mission Support Group Civil Engineer Division, said the fuel was discovered when the new well was installed and placed into operation. The source of the fuel is unknown, according to Mr. Holmes, but believed to be related to the bulk fuels facility because of the nature of the fuels discovered. Tests indicated the fuel was a combination of aviation gasoline, or AVGAS, used prior to 1976 and JP-4 jet fuel used prior to 1992. Both fuels were previously used at the facility and are more volatile than the current jet fuel, JP-8. "Based on the time period of usage, the fuel has potentially been floating on the groundwater for up to 20 or 30 years," Mr. Holmes said. With two production wells for the base and one for the Veteran's Administration Hospital located nearby, safe drinking water is the primary concern, said Mr. Holmes. Water samples were immediately collected from Kirtland's No. 15 and 16 wells and the VA hospital. No contamination was detected in any of the samples. The City of Albuquerque was also notified of the discovery because they have production wells two to three miles down gradient from the monitoring well in which the fuel was discovered. In late February, a corrective action report was presented to the New Mexico Environment Department. The primary objective of the report, Mr. Holmes said, was to propose corrective action for removal of the fuel from the groundwater and to determine the extent of the fuel layer. A pilot-test is underway to remove the fuel with a skimmer recovery pump modified with a booster pump because of the depth; preliminary results indicate the fuel can be removed in small quantities of 5-10 gallons each day. In an effort to determine the extent of the plume, up to five additional monitoring wells are being proposed by the base as part of that report. Additionally, aerial photographs dating back to 1951 are being evaluated to determine any other possible source areas for release of the fuel, which would also be investigated. The long-term plan is to remove the fuel in larger quantities with a soil vapor extraction system that uses two internal combustion engines providing vacuum and literally burning the petroleum hydrocarbons extracted. A similar system is in operation at the fuel release site at the bulk fuels facility's former off-loading rack. So far, these engines have extracted and destroyed over 110,000 gallons of petroleum hydrocarbon mass from the subsurface of the site, Mr. Holmes said. Mr. Holmes stated that the preliminary cost estimate for implementation of the corrective action plan will be approximately $1.8 million and emergency project funds have been requested from Air Force Materiel Command. More information will be presented at the next Kirtland AFB Environmental Public Meeting to be held Tuesday.