Location: Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR), Massachusetts
Client: AFCEC
MMR is one of the Department of Defense’s top priority groundwater cleanup sites based on its location atop a highly beneficial aquifer that provides drinking water to many Cape Cod communities. Over the past 15 years, all source areas have been remediated. Currently, MMR’s groundwater O&M program consists of the operation of 9 granular activated carbon groundwater treatment systems addressing 11 plumes (over varying depths to 200 feet) treating 14 million gallons per day of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvents and/or fuel-related compounds. Over time, these plumes have undergone a significant reduction in size and contaminant mass.
Bhate’s O&M and the System Performance and Ecological Impact Monitoring (SPEIM) team has supported AFCEE in meeting their IRP mission goals with a strong focus on remedial process optimization (RPO) and system-sustainability. As a result of the project’s success, Bhate’s mission is to create/promote a sustainable remediation program at MMR using both green and renewable resources. As such, a 1.5 Megawatt (MW) wind turbine has been installed and further reduces MMR’s $2M operating costs by as much as 30%. The high quality of work at MMR has resulted in the team being awarded the “2008 Excellence in Environmental Engineering Operations/Management Grand Prize Award” by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers for the work at the Massachusetts Military Reservation.