California officials plan to inject ozone into groundwater beneath a city of Carson business that washes chemical delivery trucks in hopes of removing contaminants in the water. harmful chemicals were discovered in water beneath the facility in 2004.
The officials are concerned that the groundwater contaminant plume is moving off-site. As a result, they want to start the ozone injection in October. The process involves putting ozone into water about 50 feet below ground level at the site. Ozone is made on site from oxygen taken from air or from oxygen gas in the form of liquid oxygen or LOX. Ozone breaks down toxic organics molecules to non toxic biodegradable compounds that are safe in the environment using a process called oxidation. Ozone has been used for groundwater remediation applications such as this for at least 20 years.
Ozone injections would continue for three years and be followed by two years of monitoring to see whether the treatment worked. Early pilot tests at the site confirmed the effectiveness of ozone oxidation for this site.