Protecting the American River: The Aerojet Groundwater Pumping Systems at Sailor Bar
Beneath the peaceful trails and riverbanks of Sailor Bar Park in Fair Oaks lies a vital, hidden environmental safeguarding effort: the Sailor Bar groundwater extraction and treatment infrastructure operated by Aerojet Rocketdyne. While visitors come to Sailor Bar to hike, raft, and fish, parts of the park play an active role in the multi-decade cleanup of the neighboring Aerojet Superfund Site.
The History and Purpose of the Extraction Wells
Decades of aerospace research, rocket testing, and chemical manufacturing at Aerojet’s sprawling Rancho Cordova facility—located south of the American River—led to historical soil and groundwater contamination, specifically involving volatile organic compounds (VOCs). To prevent underground contaminant plumes from migrating, expanding, or reaching the American River, regulatory agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board mandated an extensive network of pump-and-treat systems.
Specific groundwater extraction wells are located directly within Sailor Bar Park to intercept the leading edge of these underground plumes north of the river.
How the System Works
- Extraction: Hidden wells safely pump contaminated groundwater from deep beneath the Sailor Bar area.
- Conveyance: The extracted water is piped across or away from the park to dedicated treatment plants, such as the Aerojet Groundwater Extraction Treatment (ARGET) facility located south of the river.
- Purification and Discharge: The water undergoes rigorous treatment to remove impurities and regularly meets strict standards set by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) before it is safely returned to local waterways.
Coexisting with Nature and Recreation
The pumping infrastructure at Sailor Bar is largely unobtrusive, designed to blend into the surrounding landscape so that park visitors can enjoy the recreation areas without interruption. Oversight by state and federal environmental agencies ensures that the extraction operations continue safely, effectively shielding the lower American River ecosystem and regional drinking water supplies from historical industrial impacts.