Soil testing continues at site of year-old gas leak

Drilling core samples to determine how much gasoline remains in the soil around the Shop & Go station in Gravette resumed last week. Gary Moier, foreman with Anderson Engineering of Little Rock, said the drilling should be completed by this mid-week. Samples were taken last year after the problem surfaced in January of 2010.
Drilling core samples to determine how much gasoline remains in the soil around the Shop & Go station in Gravette resumed last week. Gary Moier, foreman with Anderson Engineering of Little Rock, said the drilling should be completed by this mid-week. Samples were taken last year after the problem surfaced in January of 2010.

— Core drilling for soil samples resumed last week at the site of a gasoline spill that occurred at a Gravette service station last year.

Mikel Shinn, professional geologist with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, Regulated Storage Tank Division, said this will probably be the final sampling at the site before the ADEQ determines how to complete the site clean-up process.

An unknown quantity of gasoline was discovered in the soil near three above-ground gas storage tanks at the Shop & Go station located along Highway 59 north in Gravette. The leakage was discovered on Jan. 12 last year and resulted in the cordoning off of Main Street in Gravette for several hours the following night. Nearby residents were advised of the leak when evidence of gasoline in the sewer lines prompted precautionary measures, including utilization of a HAZMAT team’s expertise.

Selling of fuel at the station was halted but owners were able to keep open the food and other services portions of the business for several months. They were waiting for results of the soil tests and recommendations that would be required before the station could reopen. After months of delay, the station was finally closed.

Early Testing

The first core samples surrounding the site determined the infiltration into the sewer system occurred through the clay pipes that had been installed many years ago. Additional samples determined contaminated soil had washed on the west side of Highway 59 through a storm drainage ditch.

Shinn said a pressure test of the middle tank failed, which indicated where the gasoline leakage could have occurred.

The city is preparing to replace the defective sewer line and Shinn said it is hoped that excavation of the soil at the site will not have to be as extensive as originally indicated.

Final resolution of the problem cannot be expected for several months, he said. Results of the present sampling will be studied before a final determination of the cleanup process can be let out for bids. This may occur sometime later this summer.

Shinn indicated the main problem area now appears to be the contaminants on the west side of the highway and into a drainage ditch along the Kansas City Southern right-of-way.

The geologist admitted that the process, though slow, must be completed to meet all state and federal environmental specifications as determined by a separate division of ADEQ.

News, Pages 8 on 03/16/2011