Date: Fri 08-Nov-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

gas-truck-accident-pollution

Full Text:

Gas Truck Accident Caused Far-Reaching Environmental Damage

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

The impact of an October 7 tanker truck crash on Route 302 may linger into the

next century, an official from the Department of Environmental Protection

(DEP) said Wednesday.

Bill Warzecha, the senior environmental analyst of the DEP's water management

bureau, met with neighbors most closely affected by the devastating fatal

crash that dumped more than 9,000 gallons of gasoline, severely polluting the

area.

"This is something that's not going to go away in a week or two, I'm sorry to

say," he said during the informational meeting held at the Dodgingtown Fire

House. About 25 residents attended.

Mr Warzecha said he had hoped early on that most of the gasoline was burned at

the time of the fire, but extensive testing in the days following the accident

indicated there was some major environmental damage. He added that the seven

inches of rain that fell in the two weeks following the crash didn't help

matters.

So far, no drinking wells have tested positive for MTBE (an additive in

gasoline) contamination, yet, including George's Restaurant & Pizza, which

opened Tuesday, but state officials say drinking water problems could still

arise. Mr Warzecha said gas is lighter than water so it tends to float. There

is still a significant amount of gas in the soil, the exact amount is

difficult to determine. Well monitoring is likely to continue for at least the

next 3-5 years, Mr Warzecha said.

"They're going to be monitoring this for a long time. It's not going to go

away," he explained.

According to Mark Cooper, the town's health director, if contaminated water

did ever make its way into a well, its strong odor would easily be detectable

coming out of the faucet.

"It's not like it would be present and you wouldn't know it," he said.

Mr Warzecha estimated that the contaminated soil will go no further than Lime

Kiln Brook to the south. He said anyone living to the south of the brook won't

be affect, including those living on Flat Swamp Road.

Digging at the site of the accident has been completed (55,000 tons of soil

was removed), but there is much work still to be done the DEP official said.

Using technology, workers from Environmental Products and Services are now

using a soil vapor extraction system, which is a series of pipes put in the

ground to vacuum out fumes. Also, a recovery trench has been installed, which

has helped hydraulically control the flow of ground water, and thus slowing

the spread of gasoline.

DEP officials are still trying to determine how best to cleanup the old

cemetery that lies directly behind the restaurant. Mr Warzecha said it is

completely saturated with gasoline, but has remained untouched. Workers don't

want to disturb any of the grave sites so they'll likely suck out the

pollutants using horizontal drills or reinject treated water into the ground

to flush the pollutants out.

Prior to the meeting, residents looked over color photos of the accident,

which showed the pure magnitude of the blaze. But the firefighters on hand

said the photos, taken by Fire Marshal George Lockwood, don't do the disaster

justice.

Environmental Products and Services was hired by Island Transportation of

North Haven, the trucking company where David Wagnblas, 28, was working for

when he lost control of his truck around a sharp curve on Route 302, and

exploded in the parking lot of George's.