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DEL MONTE CORP. (OAHU PLANTATION) KUNIA, HI
U.S. EPA Superfund Website, 2018
Filed Under: Cleanup News
Filed Under: Cleanup News
The 3,000-acre Del Monte Corp. (Oahu Plantation) site is located in Kunia, Oahu. Del Monte began growing pineapple on the plantation in the 1940s. Fumigants, such as ethylene dibromide (EDB), were used from the early 1940s until 1983 to control nematodes that infest the pineapple root. About 495 gal of EDB was spilled in April 1977, and investigations showed evidence of additional pesticide releases. A total of 18,000 tons of contaminated soil was removed in two short-term removal actions in 1981 and 1983. The remedy for soil (20-100 ft bgs) and shallow groundwater included soil vapor extraction, dual-phase extraction, phytoremediation, a vegetated soil cap, and land use restrictions; the remedy for the basal aquifer called for pump and treat and monitoring wells. The phytoremediation system used koa haole plants in a closed-loop system with no subsurface infiltration or discharge. Lined cells collected excess water in a sump and then recirculated it through a drip irrigation system. A successful pilot study was followed by installation of a full-scale phytoremediation system in 2008. The system had 35 perched groundwater monitoring wells equipped with automatic pneumatic pumps to provide continuous dewatering of the contaminated portions of the aquifer for collection in a 9,000-gal tank. Electronic float switches directed the contaminated water to the treatment cells. The system required only occasional replacement of the drip irrigation lines and trimming of the koa haole trees. The full-scale system treated more than 4.7 million gal of groundwater to concentrations below drinking water standards. https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0902876 *** For planning and executing the phytoremediation project, Golder Associates was recognized with the Best in State Gold Award at the Washington American Council of Engineering Companies 2018 Engineering Excellence Awards. http://www.djc.com/news/co/12107647.html



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