Lundegard, Paul David¹, Gonzalo Garcia² 
(1) Unocal Corporation, Brea, CA 
(2) Unocal Corporation, Guadalupe, CA

ABSTRACT: Guadalupe Restoration Project - Multi-Faceted Approach Towards Resolution of Environmental Concerns 

The former Guadalupe Oil Field, a 3000-acre property in the central California coastal region, has been the focus of numerous environmental investigations for more than 10 years. During the 44 year production history, millions of gallons of petroleum liquid were released into the environment creating impacts to soil, groundwater, and surface water. An abundance of rare ecological resources at the site creates special considerations for site investigations and remedial decision-making. 
Progress towards site resolution has been multifaceted. More than 900,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil have so-far been excavated and replaced with clean soil, and 145 miles of pipeline have been removed. Human and ecological risk posed by the contamination is being evaluated by a collaborative team of agency and industry personnel. The property has been purchased from private land owners and will eventually be deeded as a natural resource conservation easement. One key issue is the balancing of the benefits of engineered remediation efforts with the ecological harm that can be inflicted by such efforts. For this reason, natural attenuation is being evaluated in parallel with various remediation technologies. Studies of natural attenuation are focused on documenting contributory processes, estimating their rates, and evaluating their sustainability and long term effect on water quality. Our presentation will highlight preliminary findings.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90026©2004 AAPG Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas, April 18-21, 2004.