Nelson Environmental Remediation, American Samoa AUA Tank Farm soil remediation, Pago Pago, American Samoa: Nelson mobile thermal desorption plant operating at the AUA Tank Farm with the harbour and tropical mountains behind.

Nelson Environmental Remediation, American Samoa AUA Tank Farm soil remediation, Pago Pago, American Samoa: Nelson thermal desorption plant running continuous night operations at the AUA Tank Farm in Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Nelson Environmental Remediation, American Samoa AUA Tank Farm soil remediation, Pago Pago, American Samoa: The South Seas container vessel Cap Salia inbound to Pago Pago harbour carrying Nelson's break-bulk thermal treatment equipment from Oakland, California.

Nelson Environmental Remediation, American Samoa AUA Tank Farm soil remediation, Pago Pago, American Samoa: Site overview of Nelson's American Samoa remediation operation showing the thermal plant, stockpiles and wheel loader working contaminated soil.

Nelson Environmental Remediation, American Samoa AUA Tank Farm soil remediation, Pago Pago, American Samoa: Nelson-branded CAT 930M wheel loader feeding the mobile thermal desorption plant at the American Samoa AUA Tank Farm site.

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Case Study

American Samoa WWII Tank Farm Remediation

Two remote-island mobilizations to address petroleum-impacted soil at Tutuila's wartime AUA Tank Farm.

Download case study PDF

American Samoa WWII Tank Farm Remediation

Two campaigns

Capability Applied

Mobile Thermal Desorption→

Case Study Reel

Case study reel, AUA Tank Farm, American Samoa.

Watch American Samoa tank farm remediation →

Site background and contamination

The US Navy built the fuel farm in 1943 with twelve 400,000-gallon tanks, thirteen pump houses and approximately 7,500 feet of pipeline. Fuel left during dismantling in 1947 became a buried contamination legacy.

Site

AUA tank farm, a 1943 US Navy fuel farm, Tutuila, American Samoa

Contaminants

Gasoline-range petroleum hydrocarbons in soil

Nelson’s role and treatment selection

US Army Corps of Engineers performed the engineering, with ERRG of California as general contractor. Nelson supplied thermal technology, project management and the operating crew as subcontractor, bringing treatment to the island.

Nelson role

Thermal treatment subcontractor: technology, management, crew

Equipment, handling and logistics

Equipment travelled from Acheson through Oakland to Pago Pago aboard the Cap Salia. Fifteen break-bulk loads were reassembled on Tutuila. Operations continued day and night through tropical heat, humidity and monsoon rain, treating soil excavated from the former tank cells.

Equipment

RS-20 mobile thermal plant: rotary kiln, baghouse, thermal oxidizer, quench, feed hopper and scale belt

Sampling, permits and verification

American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency approval governed the gasoline-range acceptance criterion. The two campaigns used the same USACE and general-contractor delivery structure.

Documented outcomes

Performance on the first campaign earned a second award. Portions of the former fuel farm returned to community use.

Material quantity

22,400 tons across two campaigns

Result

All soil below criteria. Nothing exported; fuel farm land back in community use

Last updated · July 2026

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Remediation Strategy Navigator

Start from a site like this one

Run the same diagnostic our engineers ran here. Five questions on contaminant, matrix, site context, driver, and scale, and the Strategy Navigator shows which treatment path your conditions point toward.

· A shortlist of treatment paths ranked against your answers

· The reasoning behind every technology that surfaces

· A shareable link that reopens the same strategy

· A downloadable strategy brief at the end

Open the Strategy Navigator

Outputs are indicative. Reach out for site-specific refinements.

Contact

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Project inquiries, technical consultation, or emergencies.

We respond to project inquiries within one business day.

Nelson Environmental Remediation

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Phone

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Fax

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