(Santa Fe, NM) - The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) is soliciting public comment on a draft Strategic Plan for Kirtland Air Force Base fuel spill cleanup activities in 2015.

"This Strategic Plan is our roadmap for aggressively cleaning up soil and groundwater over the next year," said Environment Secretary Ryan Flynn. "The bottom line is that we will not allow the fuel to threaten the health and safety of Albuquerque citizens," Flynn said.

The Strategic Plan provides for early detection of contamination migration towards drinking water wells, and increased robustness of interim cleanup measures. The soil vapor extraction system, which has already recovered more than 500,000 gallons of fuel, will be increased from a capacity of 90 pounds per hour to 1,500 pounds per hour. Sixteen new monitoring wells will be drilled to fill data gaps on the horizontal and vertical extent of contamination. A groundwater extraction system will be constructed to collapse the plume of contamination dissolved in groundwater and pull it away from drinking water wells. NMED and the Air Force also will continue to exceed statutory requirements for public information and involvement.

The draft Strategic Plan is available on the NMED website at the following location: http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/NMED/Issues/KirtlandFuelPlume/index.html .

Comment period ends at 5pm January, 30, 2015.

Hardcopy or electronic written comments will be accepted, email is preferred.

Send comments to the following address:

Dennis McQuillan
NMED Environmental Health Division
PO Box 5469
Santa Fe, NM 87502

dennis.mcquillan@state.nm.us

For more information contact: Dennis McQuillan at 505-827-2140, or Jill Turner, project communications officer, at 505-222-9648.