Date: Fri 28-May-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

soil-contamination-teen-center

Full Text:

Contamination Found In Soil Near Teen Center

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

United Water Company workmen who were excavating to fix a broken water line

that serves Sonics & Materials on Church Hill Road recently uncovered soil

contaminated with aged petroleum products near the town's teen center,

according to Fire Marshal George Lockwood.

Mr Lockwood said the contamination may have come from seepage from town

underground storage tanks that were removed in the past. The town had the

tanks at the teen center building which formerly served as the town garage.

Regulations on underground fuel storage tanks were not as strict in the past

as they are today, the fire marshal said.

Mr Lockwood said he alerted the state Department of Environmental Protection

(DEP) about the soil contamination problem after learning of it on May 13.

Town Public Works Director Fred Hurley described the contamination as "aged

petroleum product probably left over from the tanks that were at the old

garage." The substance was identifiable by a "sheen in the mud layer," he

said. It was found about three to five feet below ground, he added.

"There's no free flowing product. It's just an aged petroleum product," he

said. In the past, the town removed underground diesel fuel, gasoline and

heating fuel tanks from the area, he said.

The town took soil and water samples from the area for chemical analysis, Mr

Hurley said.

Michael Capuano, an inspector with DEP's oil spill unit, said the substance

found at the excavation had the odor of a weathered hydrocarbon material which

apparently came from the former town garage area via seepage.

"This could be a result of historical contamination," he said. The material

found does not resemble gasoline, he said.

If chemical testing indicates there is an environmental problem, the matter

will be referred to DEP's water quality management and underground storage

tank units for review, Mr Capuano said.

Mr Hurley said Tuesday he expects the substance may be weathered diesel fuel,

or possibly gasoline. "It may be diesel, but I'm not sure. I don't think it's

clear," he said.

He had just received the chemical analyses of the water and soil samples

performed by Environmental Science Corp. of Middletown.

The chemical analysis is being forwarded to DEP which will decide whether

corrective steps must be taken at the site, Mr Hurley said. DEP will review

the test results to determine the nature of the decomposing petroleum product,

he said.

The area with the contamination is served by a public water supply so there

are no water wells in use there.

First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal said DEP will determine what action to take,

if any, in terms of the soil contamination problem.

Mr Rosenthal said he has asked Health Director Mark Cooper to review the

situation.