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Due to the history of the site being used for petroleum refinery operations and to determine the <br />ambient conditions at the site prior to any disturbance by the loadout operations, CAM chose to <br />sample and analyze groundwater from the existing alluvial wells for potential hydrocarbon <br />contamination. The first and third quarter 2010 groundwater samples were tested for Total <br />Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH), benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylenes (BTEX), <br />polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). <br />The groundwater sample collected from Well No. RW -2 revealed a low level of toluene during <br />the first quarter 2010 (estimated at 0.2 ppb by ACZ). Methyl -tert-butyl ether (MTBE) was found <br />at a level of 20.6 and 20.1 ppb in Well No. RW -4, which is slightly above the State - defined <br />maximum contaminant level of 20 ppb for MTBE in groundwater. The concentrations of all <br />other contaminants were below detection limits in all four alluvial wells. <br />The refinery originally processed gilsonite (i.e., bitumen: a naturally- occurring solid or semi- <br />solid hydrocarbon) ore into liquid products and petroleum coke. The refinery was later converted <br />to process conventional crude oils into liquids and coke. Gary Energy Corporation purchased the <br />operation in December 1973 and produced gasoline and diesel fuel, jet fuel, naphtha, vacuum gas <br />oil, heavy fuel oil, calcined petroleum coke and liquefied petroleum gas. The acid - sludge waste <br />cell is a mounded and soil- capped square area, about 7 acres in size, near the site's northeast <br />corner. The 39 -acre landfarm area consists of former evaporation ponds. There are several areas <br />in the northeast part of the proposed load out site where coke particulate -matter was disposed in <br />a series of excavated and unlined trenches. The material apparently originated from baghouses <br />connected to the former boiler exhaust stacks. In 1985, it was reported that at least 10,000 cubic <br />yards of coke fines were landfilled. The landfill appears to have a cap of native soils. <br />Any of the uses mentioned above could be the reason for detectable levels of the aforementioned <br />hydrocarbon contaminants. A spill at the refinery is considered the most likely source of the <br />contamination. <br />No slug tests or pump tests have been performed on the existing wells so hydraulic properties for <br />the alluvial aquifer are unavailable. <br />Climate <br />The loadout lies on an elevated river floodplain west of the town of Fruita, south of State <br />Highway 6 & 50 and north of Interstate 70. The topographic variation in west central Colorado <br />results in marked fluctuation in the seasonal and average precipitation and temperature for the <br />entire year. The climate of the region is semi -arid. The Fruita weather station FRUITA 1 W, <br />COLORADO (053146) is located approximately 5 miles east of the area to be disturbed by the <br />loadout operation. A detailed monthly climate summary from Period of Record : I/ l/ 1893 to <br />12/31/2009 is provided in Section 2.04.8 of the PAP. Following is a brief summary of the <br />climatologic information from the Fruita Weather Station. The average annual precipitation is 9 <br />inches. The average annual temperature is 54 degrees and the area has a period of about 170 <br />frost free days. Average annual total snowfall is 15.8 inches. <br />15 <br />