Unique cleanup technique used at dry cleaning property

The remediation at the Richmond site involves the use of more than 100 vapor recovery wells.

A property owner of a former dry cleaning business in Richmond is using an aggressive remediation technique to clean up ground water contamination in cooperation with DEQ’s Voluntary Remediation Program. Ground water at the site is contaminated with the chemicals commonly used to dry clean clothes.

The remediation technology is known as electrical resistance heating and the success rate is extremely high. It involves the use of electricity probes that heat up the ground water to vaporize and drive off the dry cleaning fluid, which is collected by a vapor extraction system through carbon filters. The system is monitored continually online and physically is checked two-to-three times a week. There are more than 65 electrodes and 100 vapor recovery wells collecting the vapors that are removed. This ensures that the time to complete the cleanup will be very fast – about 6 to 9 months once it is fully operational. All the impurities are collected in the carbon filters, and there is no discharge to the air and very low (if measurable) amounts in the condensed water which is collected in the aboveground tank and recycled back into the system.

Erica S. Dameron, Voluntary Remediation Program, Central Office

Teamwork leads to sale of brownfield

Staff from the Piedmont Regional Office and central office combined efforts to expedite a potential brownfields property sale in Petersburg. The former Colonial Marble Products site was in the midst of negotiations for sale when the prospective purchaser learned that the property had environmental concerns due to previous hazardous waste violations and an enforcement action. The sale of the property became contingent upon resolving any possible future corrective actions. Although DEQ staff felt confident that the prior enforcement action had addressed the release and remediation of hazardous waste, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act regulations required that the entire property be evaluated to determine if hazardous constituents were a concern for any other areas of the property.

PRO staff members Leanne Raynor and Clint Shettle coordinated with central office staff members Maria Williams and Richard Hoagland to perform a comprehensive investigation including a site inspection, interviews with past employees and owners of the former facility, and a records research. A submittal was presented to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with a 30 day public comment period. In December, EPA determined that no further corrective action would be required of the purchasers. The sale of the property was finalized in January 2007. This innovative cooperative approach by DEQ staff allowed this potential brownfields project to remain viable. Old Mansion Foods will expand their operations and utilize this property as a warehouse. The uncertainty of owning property that is subject to corrective action could have persisted for a decade or more. This expedited process resolved corrective action concerns within six months.

Leanne Raynor, Water Compliance and Pretreatment Program, Piedmont Regional Office

Army facilities become VEEP participants

DEQ Director David Paylor and Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources Nikki Rovner (holding flag) with representatives of the installations

DEQ accepted 79 Army facilities into the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program during a ceremony at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond on December 11, 2006. The program acknowledges facilities that have developed and implemented an environmental management system with a commitment to pollution prevention.

The facilities that received the recognition include six active Army facilities, Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Eustis, Fort Lee, Fort Meyer, Fort Monroe and the Radford Army Ammunition Plant; 13 Army Reserve facilities from the 99th Regional Readiness Command; and 60 Virginia Army National Guard facilities. Fort A.P. Hill received an Exemplary Environmental Enterprise or E3 designation. The other 78 facilities received the Environmental Enterprise or E2 designation.

Julia Wellman, Public Affairs, Central Office

Tidewater removes more than 3,000 pounds of trash from street

The DEQ Tidewater Regional Office is an "adopter" in the Virginia Beach Clean Community Commission's Adopt-A-Street Program. TRO has adopted Greenwich Road, a two-mile stretch of road that leads to one of the entrances to our office. To date, staff members have collected approximately 3,435 pounds of trash.

Greenwich Road borders two lakes, one of which is a tributary to the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River. The adoption of Greenwich Road is a great way to give back to the community and make a difference in the amount of litter and debris that makes it into our area surface waters and wetlands.

The first cleanup effort was October 22, 2003. Since then the TRO team has conducted 15 additional clean ups, including the latest one in November 2006 when 75 pounds of debris and automotive items were removed. Our efforts in this campaign are lead by Sherri Kattan and Gene Siudyla.

Gene Siudyla and Maria R. Nold, Tidewater Regional Office

Air monitoring group holds outdoor open house

Community members tour the DEQ trailer at the Spruance Street monitoring site in Hopewell

DEQ’s air monitoring group hosted an open house at the Spruance Street monitoring site in Hopewell on December 2, 2006. James Dinh, Brian King, Baxter Gilley, Frank Burbank and Angela Neilan from DEQ, and Suzie Gilley from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries staffed the event.

This location is part of a three site study of ambient air quality in Hopewell. The new air monitoring project and equipment were highlighted as neighbors asked questions and toured the trailer that will be located in their neighborhood for the next year. DEQ staff talked with more than 30 neighbors ranging in age from 8 to 80. Several agreed to keep an eye on the site located in a field surrounded by homes. One elderly woman said she would watch out her window, and another young bicycle rider promised to let DEQ staff know if anything was amiss.

This outdoor open house was an opportunity to get to know the neighbors and to gain their support for the project. Displays included a list of target compounds that DEQ is monitoring, ambient air toxics and a map showing all three site locations in the Hopewell project. Air quality fact sheets were provided by DEQ, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Virginia Naturally and the American Lung Association. Neighbors said they had been curious and thanked DEQ for coming out to explain the project.

Angela Neilan, Community involvement specialist, Central Office

Bay bonds and other priorities for the 2007 General Assembly session

The 2007 General Assembly will consider a host of legislative and budgetary actions this January, many of which will affect how Virginia protects its natural resources.

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David K. Paylor, DEQ Director

SARA Title III: Supporting a community's right to know

A community’s right to know what chemicals and hazardous substances are stored in its buildings, emitted from industrial processes and released during emergencies is at the core of the SARA Title III program.

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Julia Wellman, Public Affairs, Central Office