Work has resumed on the Steve Herrera Judicial Complex in downtown Santa Fe, N.M., after a plume of free-phase hydrocarbons, leaked from 1920s-era leaded-gasoline tanks, led to a two-year delay. In 2009, demolition of the site�s existing structures had been completed and excavation for the 103,000-sq-ft, three-story building had begun when the owner, Santa Fe County, and the New Mexico Environment Dept. dug test wells that revealed the extent of the contamination.
To date, 27,000 tons of contaminated soil and 15,000 gallons of gasoline have been removed in the $5.1-million remediation, says Joseph Gutierrez, county community services department head.