Leaking tanks found at gas station
“We’re actually lucky and we probably saved ourselves a lot of problems, because otherwise it would have gone into the groundwater and it could have polluted some wells.”
— Lew Babel, Lower Pottsgrove Fire Marshal
LOWER POTTSGROVE >> The dogged pursuit of gasoline odors led township officials to uncover a leaking underground gas tank at the service station at the corner of Buchert Road and North Keim Street recently.
Township Commissioner Ray Lopez, who is also the township’s emergency services coordinator, praised efforts by Fire Marshal Lew Babel in discovering the leak during the Aug. 5 commissioners meeting.
Babel said starting on July 13, police were called out over the course of several days for reports of a strong odor of gas, “but then it would go away and we couldn’t located the source.”
Finally, it was strong enough, and confirmed by police, to result in the fire companies being called out.
He said the discovery of a slick on the surface of nearby Sporgel’s Run helped to located the source.
“There was an old storm water pipe that had been cut and the gas went into that and then into the creek,” said Babel.
“We’re actually lucky and we probably saved ourselves a lot of problems, because otherwise it would have gone into the groundwater and it could have polluted some wells,” Babel said.
Township Engineer Chad Camburn also observed it showed the value of the new stormwater rules imposed by the state and federal governments.
“We may think it’s a pain and it was expensive when they said we needed to map out our stormwater system, but when the (Department of Environmental Protection) wanted to know where those pipes went, we were able to show them right away,” Camburn said.
“So that’s a benefit because we were able to prevent too much damage to that stream,” he said.
The culprit turned out to be gas tanks installed in the 1980s made a plastic that was subject to being eaten away by the ethanol now used in gasoline, Babel said.
Newer tanks do not suffer this defect, he said.
The old tanks, along with the old pumps, have been removed and the gas pump area remains fenced off, although the convenience store there remains open.