Clinton Former Gas Station
Project Year
2015
Project Duration
4 months
Contaminants of Concern
Remediation Technologies Used
- • In-Situ Chemical Oxidation (ISCO)
- • Direct Push Injection
- • Advanced Oxidation Reagents
Key Results
- ✓Over 95% BTEX reduction achieved
- ✓TPH concentrations below regulatory standards
- ✓Site approved for regulatory closure
- ✓Rapid treatment timeline minimized costs
Target Contaminants
Site Background
The site is a former gas station located in Clinton, New York. Historical operations at the facility resulted in releases of petroleum products, leading to soil and groundwater contamination with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) compounds, as well as total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH).
The contamination posed risks to nearby receptors and required an effective remediation approach to achieve regulatory closure.
Remediation Strategy
IET implemented an in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) program designed to rapidly destroy petroleum hydrocarbons in both soil and groundwater. The treatment approach utilized:
- Advanced oxidation reagents for rapid contaminant destruction
- Strategic injection point placement to maximize treatment zone coverage
- Multiple treatment phases to address residual contamination
Implementation
The injection program was executed using direct-push technology to deliver oxidation reagents throughout the contaminated zone. IET's experienced field crew completed the work efficiently while maintaining strict safety protocols.
Treatment depths extended through the contaminated soil and into the groundwater zone to ensure comprehensive remediation.
Results
The chemical oxidation treatment achieved significant reductions in petroleum contamination:
- BTEX compounds reduced by over 95%
- TPH concentrations decreased below regulatory standards
- Rapid treatment timeline minimized project costs
- Site approved for regulatory closure
Technical Approach & Petroleum ISCO Delivery
This former gas station in Clinton, New York required in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) to address BTEX and TPH contamination from historical petroleum releases. IET's ISCO program utilized advanced oxidation reagents delivered via direct-push injection technology — a method that advances injection rods to the target depth without drilling fluid, enabling rapid, cost-effective reagent placement throughout the contaminated soil and groundwater zone.
Strategic injection point placement maximized treatment zone coverage by spacing injection points to achieve overlapping radii of influence (ROI), ensuring that the oxidant contacted all contaminated subsurface volumes. Multiple treatment phases addressed residual contamination — petroleum sites commonly have NAPL mass that slowly desorbs from soil into groundwater, requiring phased oxidant delivery to destroy re-dissolving contaminants as they enter the dissolved phase.
The treatment extended through the contaminated soil into the groundwater zone, addressing both the vadose zone source mass and the dissolved-phase plume. The 95%+ BTEX reduction and TPH reduction below regulatory standards enabled rapid site closure — demonstrating the effectiveness of ISCO for former gas station sites where regulatory closure and property reuse are the primary objectives. The rapid treatment timeline minimized total project costs compared to long-term pump-and-treat or monitored natural attenuation approaches.
Clinton Site Context & Central New York Geology
Clinton, New York is located in Oneida County within the Erie-Ontario Lowland physiographic province. The shallow geology consists of Quaternary-age glacial till and lacustrine deposits overlying Devonian and Silurian-age sedimentary bedrock — predominantly shale, limestone, and sandstone. The glacial deposits create moderate-permeability conditions with a shallow water table, suitable for direct-push ISCO delivery.
Former gas station sites in central New York commonly have petroleum contamination from UST systems that leaked over decades of operation. The BTEX and TPH contamination at this site posed risks to nearby receptors, requiring effective remediation to achieve regulatory closure. IET's ISCO approach — with its ability to destroy petroleum contaminants in place without excavation — is ideal for these sites, as it enables regulatory closure and property reuse without the disruption and expense of soil removal and disposal.