Gas Station Redevelopment Involves Environmental Cleanup

By Andrew Gorosko

As part of Newtown Mobil’s redevelopment and expansion at 62 Church Hill Road, workers are rectifying soil contamination problems caused by past petroleum spills and leaks from underground fuel storage tanks.

A large rectangular tan metal container positioned on the gas station property near Church Hill Road holds filtration equipment used to clean the site. Contaminated soil that is removed from the property will be replaced with clean earthen fill.

Jay Patel, who is a partner and co-owner of Newtown Mobil, said August 12 that cleanup work is being supervised by Sovereign Consulting, Inc, an environmental services firm with a Sandy Hook branch office. Sovereign reports its findings on the cleanup work to the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for its review.

James Santacroce, a DEP specialist in environmental contamination, said Sovereign reported to DEP on July 22 that it would be supervising a cleanup project at the gas station. Mr Santacroce said the cleanup is underway to deal with a “historical” contamination problem at the site and is not a response to an “active leak.”

Companies that replace old underground fuel storage tanks with new improved fuel tanks are able to collect reimbursements from a government environmental fund, Mr Santacroce said.

Mr Santacroce said the cleanup project at the gas station is a “typical situation” that takes place to correct soil contamination problems at gas stations when they are redeveloped.

Mr Patel stressed that the gas station is following proper measures to resolve soil contamination problems and will be installing advanced new equipment, which signals a warning when any underground tank leakage problems occur. Mr Patel the gas station plans to reopen for business in October.

Sovereign

Sovereign senior hydrogeologist Scott Beals said August 13 said that the planned cleanup project involves removing about 1,500 tons, or three million pounds, of contaminated soil from the site for shipment to Chicopee, Mass., where it will be disposed of by incineration. The tonnage to be removed from the gas station represents more than 1,000 cubic yards of soil, Mr Beals said.

Clean earthen fill will replace the contaminated soil at the gas station, Mr Beals said.

Workers will excavate contaminated soil at the gas station downward to the top of the underground water table, which lies about eight to ten feet below the ground’s surface there, Mr Beals said.

Piles of contaminated soil at the site are kept covered to prevent the spread of contaminants, he said.

The soil contaminants found at the site are old petroleum products, such as gasoline and diesel fuel, he said. The presence of such substances in the soil tends to turn the soil a black and dark gray color.

The presence of MTBE, which is a gasoline additive, is not an issue at the property, Mr Beals said.

The soil pollution problems found at the site amount to “a typical level of contamination” for gasoline filling stations, he said. The contaminants found there reflect a “historical” situation likely caused by fuel leaks or spills decades ago, he said. The site’s use as a gas station dates back to the 1950s, he noted.

Mr Beals said the are no water wells in use in the immediate area.

The hydrogeologist said he expects soil excavation at the site to be done soon. Sovereign will continue to monitor environmental aspects of the gas station redevelopment project as it progresses, he added.