Phytotechnology Project Profiles
Phytoremediation at Fort Drum Gasoline Alley
Last Updated: 11/24/2009 |
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| Site Information | ||
| Site Name, Location: | Fort Drum Gasoline Alley, Watertown, NY, United States | |
| Site Type: | Underground Storage Tank | |
| Is this a Federal Superfund Site? |
Yes | |
| Is this a Federal or Military Site? |
Yes | |
| Entity Responsible for Cleanup: | Army | |
Project Information |
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| Project Name: | Phytoremediation at Fort Drum Gasoline Alley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Site History and Background: | Fort Drum's Gasoline Alley consists of 2 miles of diesel, leaded, and unleaded fuel dispensing stations. The contamination came from leaking underground storage tanks and pipes and small spills. This contamination eventually accumulated in a 162,000-gallon plume of petroleum that was discovered in 1988. In 1994, the fuel tanks that had been identified as the source were removed, stopping further contamination. The Gasoline Alley plume has spread away from its initial source. By the time it was discovered, petroleum-laced water was flowing through the 50-acre old sanitary landfill and had begun leaching into a small unnamed creek that ran along the landfill edges. From the landfill, leachate containing BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) seeps out at points along the lower portions of the side slopes into the creek. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Scale: | Full | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Status: | Ongoing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project Start Date: | 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Media Treated: |
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| Contaminants Treated: |
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| Phytotechnology Mechanism(s): | Phytoremediation |
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| Plants and other Vegetation Used: | Willow |
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| Planting Description: | Willow trees were planted inside wooden boxes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Planting Area: | 2 acres | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| O & M Requirements: | Occasional weeding and fertilizing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of the Phytotechnology Project: | $1,000,000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lessons Learned: | The site initially started as a pilot project on a quarter-acre where 30 different varieties of willows, both hybrids and true species, were planted. Planting methods including hills of soil, cardboard cylinders, and direct planting were tested as well. The larger-scale 2 acre project included 11 varieties of willows planted inside wooden boxes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Comments: | Survival rate is anticipated at 90%. Willows handle contaminated water through three mechanisms: 1) bateria and fungi within their roots break down contamination; 2) the willows uptake contamination during leaf and stem growth; and 3) transpiration of water takes place through the willows. Over 50,000 gallons of water are able to be filtered though the 22,000 planted willows daily. | Point(s) of Contact |
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Christopher Nowak Associate Professor & Undergraduate Education Coordinator SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry 215 Marshall Hall, One Forestry Drive Syracuse, NY United States Telephone: (315) 470-6575 E-mail: canowak@esf.edu |
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| Information Source(s): | Hanley, Rachael. 2008. Willows Clean Up Oil Spilled at Fort Drum. Reported in Technology Innovation News Survey (TINS) - May 2008. http://www.clu-in.org/products/tins Hanley, Rachael. 2008. Willows Clean Up Oil Spilled at Fort Drum. Reported in WatertownDailyTimes.com - May 12. http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20080512/news03/314970450 Fort Drum Army Defense Environmental Restoration Program Installation Action Plan. January 10, 2008. https://aero.apgea.army.mil/pIAP-Doc/FortDrum.pdf |
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| Associated Vendor(s) or Consultant(s): | Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers State University of New York (SUNY) U.S. Army Environmental Command |
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