Bids in to replace soil at fuel-fouled N.C. sites

Granted $7.55 million in federal stimulus money, North Carolina received bids last week to remove fuel-contaminated soils left behind at 172 sites statewide, including old gas stations in Currituck, Camden and other nearby counties.

In northeastern North Carolina, most of the stations closed in the 1990s, and leaking tanks were removed.

Public danger is at a minimum, but the stimulus money allows officials to finish the job of replacing contaminated soil and, in some cases, removing fuel from the water table, said Jamie Kritzer, spokesman for the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The state expects to contract with four environmental cleanup companies and two laboratories, Kritzer said.

Soils must be excavated and hauled to land farms, where the fuel can evaporate. If necessary, crews will either skim petroleum off the top or siphon bad water out, allowing fresh water to replace it, said Hassan Osman, a department hydrologist.

Work is expected to begin in late October or November and be completed in two to three months, Osman said. The state plans to hire two hydrologists to oversee the projects, he said.

Cleanup of the old N&N Texaco site in Powells Point is estimated to cost $325,000, one of most expensive in the region. Kenneth Waterfield ran the station from 1974 until it closed in 1992, Osman said, citing state records. Waterfield died in 1993.

In 1994, Waterfield's daughter removed three 2,000-gallon gas tanks and a 550-gallon kerosene tank, Osman said. In 1996, the state installed monitoring wells that are still there.

Federal regulations allow for the state to take over cleanup if new owners are not responsible or not financially able. Soil removal is the most expensive part of a site cleanup, Osman said.

Other local sites:

• B.U. Evans property in Grandy, estimated to cost $300,000, needs soil testing and removal and more groundwater testing.
• The Berry Brothers site on N.C. 343 in Camden, estimated to cost $200,000, needs removal of soil and of fuel from the water table.
• Cartwright's Exxon/Annie Mullen Estate in South Mills, estimated to cost $13,500, needs more well monitoring.
• Outer Banks Cleaners in Manteo, previously a petroleum bulk storage site, is estimated to cost $8,000 for additional water sampling.
• Jackson's BP Station in Elizabeth City, estimated to cost $12,500, needs more soil tests.
• Jimmy H. Davis Estate/Has It Store in Hertford, estimated to cost $12,500, needs more soil tests.
• Gatesville Service Station in Gatesville, requires an estimated $5,000 to close an old water supply well.

There were more than 482,000 leaking underground storage tanks nationwide, according to the Environmental Protection Agency Web site. Of those, about 380,000 have been cleaned since the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund was established in 1986.

In 1988, North Carolina began locating and cleaning sites with leaking underground storage tanks, Kritzer said. Using federal funds and state fuel taxes, tank installation fees and gas pump inspection fees, the state began cleaning 24,321 leaking underground tanks, according to the EPA. Of those, 5,810 remain.

Jeff Hampton, (252) 338-0159, jeff.hampton@pilotonline.com