West Fargo cleanup slated to begin this fall

Cleanup of West Fargo's contaminated Camelot Cleaners site is inching closer.

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to request for bids the week of July 14, said EPA official Joyce Ackerman.

Contracts will be awarded in mid- to late September, with work on the six-month cleanup project set to begin shortly thereafter.

The landowner of the site at 602 Sheyenne St., John Woodhams, is looking at bids to take down the Camelot building, said his lawyer William Delmore.

They will be on site with an engineer within the next few weeks to evaluate the project, Delmore said.

The building must be taken down before cleanup can begin, Ackerman said.

The method the EPA will use to clean up the site is thermally enhanced soil vapor extraction, Ackerman said.

Electrodes will be placed as much as 50 feet below ground to heat the soil. A vapor extraction system will then capture the evaporated contaminant.

The area that will be affected is directly below the building, around the building and into some residential property. That area is no larger than an acre, Ackerman said.

The EPA has approved funding for the project, which is estimated to cost more than $1 million, Ackerman said. The EPA will cover that cost and try to get reimbursed by the landowner and Camelot Cleaners.

Initially the estimate was $500,000, but the price for that technology has increased, she said.

Ackerman knows of about five vendors in the United States and Canada who have the necessary technology.

Delmore said he has expressed concerns to the EPA about thermal heating as the cleanup method. He's afraid the heat will cause the clay soil to move, expand or crack, possibly causing air emissions or other problems.

But Ackerman said the EPA has studied alternatives and the thermal method is the best option that is cost effective.

Excavation would be the ideal option to eliminate the contaminant, but that would cost about $3 million, she said.

After EPA officials request for proposals in mid-July, they will give bidders a month to tour the site and finalize their proposals.

The EPA will then evaluate proposals for two to four weeks, Ackerman said.

"One of the things we will be evaluating on is the proposed schedule," Ackerman said. "We want somebody who can get in the field sooner than later."

Even though much of the work will be going on through the winter, Ackerman said that shouldn't create problems as long as electrodes are put underground early in the season.

West Fargo officials are concerned that heating the dense clay soil may cause it to cave in, possibly affecting the street, said City Commissioner Brenda Warren.

Contractors will be instructed to take this into consideration, Ackerman said. If the street is damaged, the EPA would cover those costs, she said.

Getting the Camelot site cleaned up is one of Warren's top priorities. She said she's been frustrated with how long the process has taken.

The North Dakota Department of Health discovered tetrachlorethene, also known as PCE, there in 1998.

"Here I am a city commissioner for almost three years and we're still trying to get this completed," Warren said. "But you can see the light at the end of the tunnel now, so I think we are really coming to a conclusion here."

Readers can reach Forum reporter Amy Dalrymple at (701) 241-5590