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On April 29, 2008, ERRS excavated a test area beneath the concrete of the west wall of the pond. The soil beneath was heavily contaminated with oil and had free oil and oily water seeping from it in numerous spots. The START and PST conducted test borings in the bottom of the pond, through the east wall, the area between the two ponds, the area east of the adjacent ponds and the area between the road and the pond. In all cases after a few feet of overburden, heavy oil contaminated soil was found. Based on this information the decision was made by OSC Wise to excavate the contaminated soil beneath the pond. OSC Wise requested and was granted an additional $900,000 increase in the FPN for the Bell Lease cleanup.
On April 30, 2008, after completing the removal of the original pond solids for off-site disposal, ERRS began to remove all of the concrete from the western wall of the pond. This documented widespread contamination and pockets of free oil through the horizontal and vertical extent of the ponds. The ERRS then began the excavation and stockpiling of the contaminated soil beneath the ponds.
The contaminated soil beneath the ponds was excavated to a depth of 5' below the bottom of the ponds or to clean fill which ever came first. The material was transported off-site via truck to the Chemical Waste Management, Inc. facility in Kettleman City, CA. The pond was excavated on the west, north and southern sides with all of the concrete in those areas removed and stockpiled for later use as backfill. The eastern wall was left in place for the reason described above. As of May 20, 2008, the removal of the contaminated soil was coming to an end with the removal of the material from the south end where the original pipe that leaked was located.
On May 17, 2008, ERRS began to backfill the pond area. Clean fill was obtained from an area on the Greka Bell Lease with their permission. The fill was tested and determined to be clean.
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