TranslateFormer Dry Cleaner — Rapid Response
Project Year
2013
Project Duration
60 days (Rapid Response)
Contaminants of Concern
Remediation Technologies Used
- • High-Concentration Reagent Injection
- • Multi-Phase Treatment
- • Direct Push Technology
- • Real-Time Monitoring
Key Results
- ✓Over 80% PCE and TCE reduction in 60 days
- ✓Measurable results after each injection phase
- ✓Real estate transaction proceeded on schedule
- ✓Continued biological activity for long-term reduction
- ✓Project completed within budget
Target Contaminants
Rapid Response Project
This project showcased IET's ability to deliver rapid, measurable results through an intensive 60-day remediation event.
Site Background
The site is a former dry cleaning facility in Madison, Indiana, where decades of operations resulted in significant PCE and TCE contamination in soil and groundwater. The property owner required rapid remediation to support a pending real estate transaction.
The aggressive timeline demanded an efficient, proven approach that could deliver measurable results quickly.
Remediation Strategy
IET designed an intensive 60-day remediation program combining:
- High-concentration reagent injections for rapid contaminant destruction
- Multiple injection events within the 60-day window
- Real-time monitoring to optimize treatment effectiveness
- Source zone targeting for maximum impact
The accelerated approach required careful coordination and experienced field personnel to maintain quality while meeting aggressive timelines.
Implementation
IET mobilized a dedicated field team for the 60-day event, conducting multiple injection phases with careful monitoring between each phase. The team worked efficiently to complete all planned injections while adapting the approach based on real-time results.
Direct-push technology allowed rapid deployment of treatment solutions throughout the target zone without significant site disruption.
Results
The 60-day remediation event achieved impressive results:
- PCE and TCE concentrations reduced by over 80% within 60 days
- Measurable results documented after each injection phase
- Real estate transaction proceeded on schedule
- Continued biological activity sustained long-term contaminant reduction
- Project completed within budget despite aggressive timeline
This case study demonstrates IET's capability to deliver rapid, effective remediation when project timelines are critical.
Technical Approach & Accelerated Remediation Strategy
This Madison, Indiana project demonstrates IET's capability to deliver rapid, measurable results under aggressive timeline constraints. The 60-day remediation event utilized high-concentration reagent injections with multiple injection phases — an accelerated approach designed to achieve maximum contaminant mass reduction within a compressed schedule driven by a pending real estate transaction.
The high-concentration reagent approach delivers larger amendment masses per injection point, creating higher oxidant/reductant concentrations in the subsurface that destroy contaminants more rapidly than standard-dose programs. Multiple injection events within the 60-day window allow the treatment team to monitor contaminant response between phases and adjust reagent concentrations, injection pressures, and point spacing based on real-time performance data — optimizing treatment effectiveness as the program progresses.
Real-time monitoring during the 60-day event included field parameters (ORP, pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen) measured at monitoring wells between injection phases, providing immediate feedback on treatment progress. Source zone targeting focused the highest reagent masses on the areas with the highest contaminant concentrations, maximizing mass removal efficiency. The 80%+ PCE and TCE reduction within 60 days enabled the real estate transaction to proceed on schedule.
Madison Site Context & Indiana Geology
Madison, Indiana is located in Jefferson County along the Ohio River within the Muscatatuck Plateau physiographic province. The shallow geology consists of Ordovician and Silurian-age sedimentary rocks — predominantly limestone, shale, and dolomite — with thin residual soil cover. The limestone bedrock in this area is susceptible to karst development, creating potential preferential flow pathways for contaminant migration that require careful consideration in remediation design.
Former dry cleaning facilities like this site commonly have PCE and TCE contamination from historical solvent handling practices — PCE was the primary dry cleaning solvent for decades, and improper disposal or equipment leaks released it into the subsurface where it migrated as a DNAPL through the soil and into the bedrock. The aggressive 60-day timeline was driven by a pending real estate transaction, demonstrating IET's capability to mobilize rapidly and deliver effective treatment under compressed schedules.
