Pump and Treat [1]

A procedure for removing free product and cleaning up groundwater [2] that has been contaminated as a result of a tank [3] leak or spill.

Groundwater believed to be contaminated is pumped to the surface, and subjected to a treatment process. The water is then returned to the ground at the site, or otherwise disposed of. Pump-and-treat is not a process that can be used for rapidly removing residual hydrocarbons adhering to soil particles, nor is it always effective in complex geological formations. 

The pump-and-treat process can, however, be effective in situations where large volumes of free product are present in the groundwater in certain types of geological formations