Sarasota, FL
Replacing the past, restoring the future
When aging pump-and-treat infrastructure needed replacement at a site with 1,4-Dioxane-impacted groundwater migrating offsite through a fractured rock aquifer, a 154-unit TreeWell System was selected as a sustainable long-term alternative. Contamination was confined to a deep fractured rock zone underlying a clean shallow aquifer, requiring precise system design to target the appropriate depth interval.
Central Indiana
From environmental challenge to lasting community asset
Chlorinated solvents (CVOCs) in shallow groundwater proved a remedial challenge in a residential neighborhood where complex glacial geology made conventional approaches ineffective. Instead, a nature-based TreeWell system was seamlessly woven into a brand-new neighborhood park — planted with Black Willows, Eastern Cottonwood, Ginkgo trees, and native shrubs and wildflowers . The park will connect to a planned regional rail trail, delivering lasting recreational and ecological value to the surrounding community.
A Phyto-Integrated® combined-remedies approach — incorporating targeted soil excavations, enhanced in-situ bioremediation, and TreeMediation® technology — was implemented to reduce VOC concentrations in groundwater and prevent off-site migration to downgradient surface water. A pilot study of 52 TreeWell® units installed in 2014 demonstrated sufficient success to warrant a full-scale expansion of 166 additional units in 2016, targeting migration pathways from shallow soils down to 45 feet in fractured shale bedrock, and planted with a diverse mix of willows, hybrid poplars, London plane trees, black locusts, and red twig dogwoods. Through 2021, the plantation has displayed vigorous growth with no indicators of plant stress, and hydrogeologic monitoring data confirm the system is providing hydraulic capture and performing as designed.