Extraction of fuel vapor to expand Published June 12, 2014 By Lee Ross Nucleus editor KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Kirtland is making changes to its soil vapor extraction system to increase the area from which it is drawing fuel vapor. The base will install four additional soil vapor extraction wells, which are specifically designed to remove fuel-laden vapor from the area of the fuel spill on the base. With this expansion, the total number of SVE wells will increase from five to nine. Kirtland is also looking at installing an enhanced soil vapor extraction unit, which can handle the additional wells as part of this expansion. Like the existing unit it replaces, the new equipment will incinerate fuel vapor contaminants that are drawn from the soil to prevent them from settling into the groundwater. "The new unit is expected to process approximately 280 pounds of contaminants per hour. That is three times as many as the current system," said Wayne Bitner, chief of environmental restoration for the base. Costs for this expansion are covered under the terms of an existing, five-year performance-based contract awarded to CB&I Federal Services to clean up the spill. This means the expansion won't result in additional cost to the Air Force, Bitner said. The current SVE unit is located in an area adjacent to the old Kirtland fuel facilities offloading ramp on the west side of the base. That is the site of the fuel leak discovered in 1999. By law, Kirtland's efforts to remediate the fuel spill, including the SVE expansion, are directed by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as administered by the New Mexico Environment Department. All Kirtland cleanup work must be rigorously reviewed and approved by responsible parties, including city, county and state regulators, before any actions can take place.