January 19, 2016 Public Presentation: Technical Remediation Update of The Former Timex Facility

November 2015 – Status of Groundwater Remediation Near Former Timex Facility

Timex has begun the process of remediating the groundwater contamination near the former Timex facility. This document summarizes the remediation steps and current status.

The objective of the remediation is to reduce levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) in the groundwater. Timex will use in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) to address the contamination. The ISCO treatment consists of injecting a chemical “oxidant” into the shallow groundwater that will react with and destroy the TCE contamination in the groundwater, leaving only inert byproducts such as water and carbon dioxide. Any oxidant that does not react with the TCE will break down naturally over time.

The oxidant will be injected into the groundwater through injection wells around the former Timex building and in nearby areas, such as around the Civil Air Patrol building and parking lot north of Crisp Drive. Timex will install 37 injection wells on the Civil Air Patrol property and northern parking lot, and 113 injection wells on the former Timex property and adjacent parking lot south of the Civil Air Patrol building. Timex began installing the injection wells on October 26, 2015. A figure showing the locations of the injection wells is attached.

The oxidant will be delivered to the site in five tanker trucks over a 6-week period and stored in a large tank. It will be mixed with clean water to create the appropriate strength solution needed to treat the TCE. The diluted solution will then be pumped into the ground through the injection wells. Hoses will be used to transport the oxidant from the mixing area to each injection well.   Smaller tanks mounted on trucks will be used to move the oxidant across Crisp Drive to the north parking lot so that Crisp Drive can remain open. The alley between the former Timex property and the Civil Air Patrol will be closed to traffic during the injections.

In all, a total of more than 70,000 gallons of the chemical oxidant will be injected into 150 injection wells.   Injection of the oxidant began on November 2, 2015 and will continue for 5 to 7 weeks, finishing up in mid-December, 2015. Once the injections have been completed, Timex will periodically check the shallow groundwater to determine when the oxidant is used up. Initially, the groundwater monitoring will be weekly but will transition to monthly and then quarterly. Once the oxidant has fully reacted with the TCE, samples of the groundwater will be collected and tested for TCE to determine whether more injections are needed. As many as three separate rounds of injections may be needed, over the course of several years, to achieve the remediation objective. Typically, subsequent rounds of injections only are necessary in certain areas and require much less oxidant than the first injection.

May 2015 – Soil Cleanup: Complete

Timex completed the clean-up of contaminated soil at the Site. Soil tests revealed that soil contamination was present along a storm drain pipe and near a floor drain in the former building.   The soil contamination did not extend outside the industrial area south of 12th Street. Timex hired a local contractor (Pollution Management Inc.) to dig up the contaminated soil and take it to a landfill that is permitted to accept contaminated soil. The work involved removing the asphalt, digging up the contaminated soil, and filling the hole with clean soil. The excavation extended across the alley west of the former Timex property and into the parking lot for the Civil Air Patrol building. A total of 2,200 tons of contaminated soil were removed from the Site. Once all of the contaminated soil was removed and the hole was filled with clean soil, the alley and parking lot were repaved and grass was planted on the Timex property.

September 2015 – Groundwater Cleanup: In Progress

ADEQ has approved Timex’s plan for the full-scale groundwater cleanup. Timex will use a chemical called an “oxidant” to treat the shallow groundwater where the contamination is most concentrated, which is at the former Timex site on the airport property. The oxidant will react with and reduce the levels of substances in the groundwater. Timex already has completed a “Pilot Study” to determine which oxidant will be most effective for the contamination related to the Site and to select the best method of delivering the oxidant to the contaminated groundwater.

On September 14, 2015, Timex received approval from ADEQ to begin the underground injections of the oxidant. Timex will begin installing injection wells in late October to begin the groundwater cleanup.