Groundwater Impacts |
Voluntary Cleanup Program
Texas Instruments’ North Campus Facility is located on
the northeast corner of U.S. Highway 75 (Central Expressway)
and Interstate Highway 635 (LBJ) in Dallas. The property encompasses
approximately 300 acres. The company has manufactured semiconductors
— devices that make electronics equipment work — at the facility
since about 1958.
Texas Instruments (TI) historically used cleaning solvents
at this site to clean parts during manufacturing operations.
These compounds are commonly used by manufacturers throughout
the world and were historically used as ingredients in many
household products.
Accidental leaks occurred decades ago in some areas where TI
historically used or stored solvents, which resulted in some
solvents entering shallow soil and groundwater. TI’s first discovery
of such impacts was in 1983, in connection with some construction
activity. The company promptly reported its findings to Texas
regulators.
After this discovery, as with several similar discoveries, TI
took proper actions, including:
- Pipes and tanks were drained and removed where needed.
- Surrounding soils were evaluated and areas of contamination
were removed or remediated, as appropriate.
What remained in the groundwater after these actions were
very low levels or concentrations of solvents.
Since then, TI has invested millions in new chemical management
systems that are better equipped to safely handle, store and
transport chemicals. This has included above-ground tanks with
robust spill control, above-ground lines for transporting chemicals
that are double-contained where needed, and level-sensing devices
to prevent overfill. Where possible, new chemistries have been
introduced and reduced use of such solvents has been encouraged,
resulting in the elimination of Trichloroethylene (TCE) and
Perchloroethylene (PCE) use at the North Campus facility.
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Groundwater Impacts
In addition to a few small areas of isolated and confined impact,
TI identified two primary groundwater plumes originating from
areas on the North Campus where affected soil came in contact
with water flowing under the surface of the ground. The data
shows that due to the underground geology in the area, the plumes
move toward TI Boulevard to the southeast of the facility, rather
than toward the Hamilton Park residential area.
In 1997, TI installed a cleanup system (known as an interceptor
trench) to treat affected groundwater and limit its migration.
Since installation, the system has extracted and treated more
than 19 million gallons of groundwater that contained very small
amounts (about 1/10 drop per gallon) of solvents.
Additionally, over the years TI has installed a network of
more than 75 groundwater-monitoring wells on and around its
campus, enabling the company to collect groundwater to measure
for the presence of chemicals. Thousands of groundwater samples
were taken quarterly and analyzed.
The cleanup measures TI implemented, along with natural processes
that degrade and reduce chemical concentrations in groundwater,
has helped further reduce the levels of solvents in the groundwater.
Samples taken from monitoring wells nearest to the Hamilton
Park neighborhood have all tested below the Texas Commission
on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) most conservative applicable
regulatory level. TI recently sampled four groundwater monitoring
wells located in the northern part of the Hamilton Park neighborhood.
The constituents in the wells were analyzed using EPA’s
standard analytical method. No chemicals were detected in the
water from these wells.
Based on 20 years of scientific testing and monitoring, with
oversight by regulatory agencies, the data has shown there have
been no adverse impacts to Hamilton Park, or to the current
use of all nearby areas. TI continues to monitor and test.
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Voluntary Cleanup Program
TI has worked with the Texas regulatory agencies since discovery
of these events and enrolled in the Voluntary Cleanup Program
(VCP) in 1996. The TCEQ is responsible for overseeing TI’s
environmental activities to ensure appropriate investigation
and cleanup actions are performed.
Under the VCP, TI has conducted a thorough investigation of
the environmental conditions at the site. Most recently, in
November 2006, TI submitted an Affected Property Assessment
Report to the TCEQ, which provided a detailed and comprehensive
history of environmental activities, investigations and responsive
measures conducted at the North Campus site. TI is currently
preparing additional information at the TCEQ’s request.
After TCEQ approves this report, the company will submit a plan
describing possible additional cleanup measures at the site.
Following implementation of any further recommended actions
and collection of additional data for agency review, TI will
seek TCEQ’s approval of a final certificate of completion.
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