NewsDrop-April-2024

EAA IDENTIFIES ABANDONED WELLS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY’S (EPA) BANDERA ROAD SUPERFUND SITE

By: Roger Andrade EAA Groundwater Protection Manager

This past January the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a ribbon cutting in Leon Valley, Texas, for the Bandera Road Superfund Site where they featured the completion of their construction, testing of the soil vapor extraction wells, and the in-situ bioremediation injection wells.

Both soil vapor extraction, or “SVE,” and air sparging extract (remove) con taminant vapors from below the ground for treatment above ground. Bioreme diation is the use of microbes to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater. Throughout this project, the Edwards Aquifer Authority’s (EAA) Groundwater Protection team has provided the EPA and its contractors with support in its efforts to manage the contamination at this site by helping identify abandoned wells. This assistance provided by the EAA helped reduce the resources it takes to search for the abandoned wells and allowed the wells to be uncovered and properly plugged by the EPA.

In total, the EPA plugged about 20 wells near the property. This assistance provided by the EAA helped reduce the risks to water quality posed by aban doned or destroyed wells. EAA efforts assisted with not only identifying aban doned wells but also efficiently locating and uncovering destroyed wells for proper plugging by the EPA contractors. This project has been collaborative in nature with several agencies playing a part in various aspects of the pro cess, including the City of Leon Valley, United States Geologic Survey (USGS), Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

To watch the EPA’s “Investing in America – Bandera Road Superfund Site Ribbon Cutting Event”, please visit: https://youtu.be/AWsEpwSgue8?si=efQBQYGmHPVZh_Wd

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