There Are No In Situ Methods

We will never understand the strengths and limitations of the new innovative technologies unless we comprehend how they accomplish our remediation goals. Too many of our sites will take 10 to 100 years, or more, to reach final cleanup goals. We do not want to wait until the end of the project to determine if the technology can accomplish full cleanup. The first step in reaching this understanding is to realize how the technology works. The two hottest "in situ" technologies being applied in the field today are soil vapor extraction (SVE: also known as vapor extraction systems or VES) and air sparging. Neither of these techniques is, in fact, an in situ method. Both of these technologies rely on air movement to remove the contaminants from the ground and aquifer. This does not constitute an "in place" treatment; it is a simple change of carrier.