Steel pilings were driven 50-70 feet into the ground surrounding the site. Recently, the EPA installed a barrier wall of steel 50-70 feet into the ground around the Wyckoff site to block migration of pollution. The wall was completed in February, 2001. Within the limits of the wall, groundwater pumping and treatment continues. The EPA was required to do mitigation for destruction of habitat due to the wall.
Law requires that mitigation occur on site, if at all possible.
Thus, a 2 acre beach was created on the western end of the site, and was also completed in February. This habitat is intended to replace that utilized by surf smelt and juvenile chinook salmon, which is no longer accessible due to the construction of the wall. In-situ Thermal Remediation With the creosote contaminants being held on site by the steel wall, the next step in remediation is to remove them from the sediments on the site. As stated earlier, pumping and treating the ground water, while removing some of the contaminants, is unable to extract much of the oily creosote sludge that remains in the soil. In-situ thermal remediation utilizes high temperatures to aid in the extraction of chemicals.