Green Remediation Focus
Umatilla Army Depot
Hermiston, Oregon
Federal Facility, Superfund NPL
Cleanup Objectives: Treat 15,000 tons of soil contaminated with explosives such as trinitrotoluene (TNT) and royal demolition explosives (RDX)
Green Remediation Strategy: Composted with locally obtained feedstock
- Used Windrow techniques involving placement of soil in lengthy piles
- Periodically mixed soil with a mixture of cattle/chicken manure, sawdust, alfalfa, and potato waste
- Mixed soil with feedstock inside mobile buildings to control fumes and optimize biological activity
Results:
- Treated each 2,700-cubic-yard batch of soil in 10-12 days
- Destroyed contaminant byproducts or permanently bound byproducts to soil or humus, with non-detectable concentrations of explosives
- Provided $150,000 potential end-revenue from sale of humus-rich soil
- Saved an estimated $2.6 million compared to incineration, a common alternative for explosives treatment
- Avoided significant fossil fuel consumed by an incinerator
- Avoided fuel costs/consumption associated with transporting soil to an offsite incinerator or transferring ash generated by an onsite mobile incinerator
Property End Use: Privatization under base realignment and closure
Point of Contact: Harry Craig, U.S. EPA Region 10
