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iver City Metal Finishing (RCMF), located in Bexar County west of San Antonio, is a former metal plating shop that operated from 1994 to 2002. RCMF was closed due to a series of compliance issues stemming from improper handling and disposal of chemicals associated with metal plating. In May 2018, the site was listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a Superfund site following a referral from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). During an inspection in 2016, TCEQ found heavy metal contamination of soil and shallow groundwater and potential contamination of Edwards Aquifer water. EAA Continues Conducting Scientific Research At EPA Superfund Site In 2018, the EAA began independently researching this site and implemented a collaborative effort within the EAA’s various departments to gather data. EAA staff reviewed the site’s geology, water level data, groundwater chemistry data, and collected new groundwater samples from Edwards Aquifer wells in the area. Paul Bertetti, Director of Aquifer Science commended his staffby stating, “Aquifer Science staff at the EAA were able to quickly organize a water sampling plan and assemble a large amount of data to characterize the RCMF site before the first interagency discussions. They did a wonderful job employing several new software tools for the task.” EAA staff used data from wells in the RCMF area to create cross sections of geologic layers under the site. Information about the structure, such as location and offset of faults, helps staff evaluate the potential for contaminant transport from the surface to the Edwards Aquifer. The EPA began its remedial investigation field work in March 2019. During the remedial investigation, which could last up to two years, the EPA will collect new water quality and soil samples from the site and surrounding areas. Furthermore, the EPA has also drilled several new monitoring wells to examine the potential for movement of contamination. The data from EPA’s investigation will be used to conduct human health and ecological risk assessments, which will be used to guide recommendations about site clean-up. The EAA plans to continue sampling wells near the site on an annual basis in coordination with the EPA investigation. In addition, the EAA will continue to assist with EPA’s efforts and be a part of interagency discussions with their agency and other agencies, including TCEQ, Texas Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

“Fortunately, our sampling in 2018 and 2019 has shown that heavy metal concentrations in the Aquifer are far, far below any levels of concern for drinking water. In fact, our results indicate levels in the area are no different than background.” “Soils and shallow groundwater at the RCMF site are still contaminated. So, we will remain vigilant in our monitoring and continue working with the EPA to fully assess any risks from the site,” said Bertetti. EAA staff used data from wells in the RCMF area to create cross sections of geologic layers under the site. Information about the structure, such as location and offset of faults, helps staff evaluate the potential for contaminant transport from the surface to the Edwards Aquifer.

Figure 1. on the next page summarizes this study.

The Aquifer Science and Research Team performs several data collection tasks to include water chemistry samples, stream flow measurements, and research related water level transect data sets. Paul Bertetti is its Director.

For more than 25 years, Mr. Bertetti has worked as a research scientist investigating a wide range of topics related to the hydrogeology and geochemistry of complex aquifer systems such as the Edwards, Carrizo-Wilcox, and Trinity aquifers. He has also conducted numerous in-field, laboratory, and modeling studies to examine the sorption and ion-exchange behavior of dissolved constituents in groundwater. Mr. Bertetti holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Geology from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

“Superfund is the common name for the law that authorizes the state to take care of contaminated sites that have releases or potential releases of hazardous substances into the environment. The law gives the environmental agencies the legal power to clean up the sites and to recover cleanup costs from those who are responsible for the hazardous substances and solid wastes associated with the Superfund site (“State Superfund Program” 2019).”

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