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Enron Mail |
I wanted to present this summary of the meeting Transwestern had with
representatives of the Laguna Pueblo concerning the status of the PCB remediation activities by TW. On the Laguna side were members of the Laguna pueblo, the PEOP a technical oversight group that provides expertise and assistance on technical issues for all of the 19 pueblos in New Mexico (ranging from UST to superfund), and members of ETS ( 5 members of the Laguna team, Butch Russell, Rick Smith (advisor for the Laguna team), myself) and George Robinson. This is the third meeting we had in the last year and a half with this group since the Lagunas have started showing renewed interest in environmental activities on their pueblo. The meeting centered around two issues at the site: the closure of the UST and the PCB remediation activity. With respect to the first, concensus was reached that we would continue monitoring and collecting groundwater samples at the two downstream well locations from the UST site on a quarterly basis, and send the results to POEP for review. With repsect to the PCB remediation issue, things were a little different. The POEP representatives expressed concern on behalf of the Laguna tribal Coucil that the progress of the remediation activities Transwestern is presently using to bring closure to the site is not showing positive goals toward achieving cleanup at the site and that the data submittals to the Lagunas have verified this. They indicated that that have been patient with Transwstern's attempts to allow natural attenuation to reduce the PCB contamination, but based upon the historic sampling results, that this technology is not proving to be very successful, in fact the results have shown stagnant results (Im using their words). They would like to see Transwestern implement other more proactive technologies to arrive at cleanup and closure of this site. Members of the Laguna pueblo, who work for the POEP, expressed concern that the PCB contamination could negatively impact future generations of Lagunas members and that it was the responsibility of Transwestern to clean up the contamination which they brought onto their lands. One member of the Laguna pueblo called the contamination a "cancer" with potential to spread. A comment was made by the POEP that there was a major potential of increasing the magnitude and spread of the contamination if we continue to just maintain our present approach of just monitoring the site and installing additional wells.. A member of the POEP has been in contact with a consortum of individuals from North Dakota State University, (Energy and Environmental Research Center) who claim to be experts in reclamation of contaminated sites which are considered difficult to remediate (this site would certainly fall into this category due to the presence of the sandstone bedrock which has numerous cracks and channels present which direct the PCB containing liquids present at the site). Although the POEP was not recommending Transwestern utilize their service, they did strongly suggest that we should at least discuss this site with them. It shold also be mentioned that Syed Risvi, the POEP Superfund representative was at this meeting. He had mentioned that the POEP has been in discussions with EPA Region VI concerning potential classification of the site on the CERCLIS list of sites for inclusion on the NPL.. He had indicated that he did not want to see this site included on the list, but stated that Transwetern needed to update and show postive results in our remediation efforts and that it was the tribal councils opinion that this was not being done. At the conclusion of the meeting, I informed the POEP that Transwestern's internal remediation group would contact the NDSU group and discuss the site characteristics with them and we would reprot back to them the results of our discussions. This seemed to satisify the POEP and they were content with this. John, I would like to schedule a conference call with the above list of people and discuss this issue. A couple of things I want to bring out. First, we will be undergoing ROW and Compressor Station renewals with the Lagunas in the near future. Second, on the Laguna tribal lands, they have experienced other releases of contimation and are currently very sensitive to this whole contamination problem. Although we are considered by the POEP as proactive up to this point and very easy to work with (direct quote from the POEP) they are wanting a more proactive and measurable effort from Transwestern to clean up the PCBs. Please get back with me on this.
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