Pollution cleanup outlined at hearing
NEW HANOVER >> An underground pit from which 8,000 gallons of chemicals was extracted and burned may have been a significant source of the groundwater contamination that poisoned residential wells and required a $2 million expansion of the public water system.
Specifics of the pit’s discovery and subsequent cleanup were the subject of a public hearing Dec. 6 at the Boyertown Junior High East which was attended by about 30 people.
The hearing was held by the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection and Colin Wade, the DEP official overseeing the investigation at the former Good’s Oil site off Route 663, said the discovery and cleanup occurred in July.
The DEP discovered the pit as the result of a deposition given by the property’s effective owner Ethan Good (legally the property is owned by trusts under Good’s control) in legal proceedings in which Good agreed to pay for the cleanup there.
The operation at the site, 334 Layfield Road, was once known as Swann Oil, and then the Good Oil Co.
Wade said the liquid found in the pit contained “weathered petroleum, chlorinated solvents, pesticides” and a by-product of petroleum known as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs.
Responding to a question from state Rep. Marcy Toepel, R-147th Dist., Wade said that contrary to what she had first been told, the materials taken out of the pit are “similar” to the pollutants which leached into the groundwater and poisoned area wells.
The discovery of that pollution in 2011, resulted in public water being extended to numerous homes in the area at a cost of $2 million in taxpayer dollars.
In an agreement reached in August, Good agreed to begin repaying
“It’s always difficult to find out where people dumped something 40 years ago.” Colin Wade, PA Dept. of Environmental Protection “It’s always difficult to find out where people dumped something 40 years ago.” Colin Wade, PA Dept. of Environmental Protection
the state for the cost of that water system in $7,000 monthly installments.
Wade also said the estimated cost of the removal is about $150,000 and that the contaminants were incinerated off-site at a licensed disposal facility.
Also discovered at the site were pipes that emptied into the pit, and which seemed to have come from the garage at the facility, where a truck washing operation as well as heating oil storage and sales were once housed.
The DEP will continue to take written public comment on this latest action until Feb. 3, 2017. Comments can be emailed to Wade at cowade@pa.gov; by mail to: Colin Wade, @ East Main St., Norristown, PA 19401. He can also be reached at 484-250-5722.
When asked by Chris Mullaney, an attorney for the Ban the Quarry group, why it took so long to find something so many people seemed to know about, Wade said DEP interviewed former employees and longtime residents, but could not located the pit, which was buried 10feet underground — this despite using ground-penetrating radar.
“It’s always difficult to find out where people dumped something 40 years ago,” said Wade.
Accordingly, Wade said while the discovery of the pit indicates DEP has found one location of “significant” pollution, it will continue to investigate the site and search for more potential sources of contamination.
Mullaney suggested that DEP expand its search to 82 acres of property Gibraltar Rock purchased from Good in December, 2014 for $800,000 that is adjacent to the contamination site and is currently being proposed for expanded quarry operations.
“It’s unbelievable, the quantity, variety and intensity of the chemicals found on in the samples,” Mullaney said.
He added that the Ban the Quarry group is concerned Gibraltar’s proposed quarry operation will draw more chemicals out of the ground water and into the open, posing a further threat.
“We hope it doesn’t happen, but we’re worried,” he said.
“It’s frightening not to have this (Good Oil) property totally clean before they start quarrying,” Bob Meyers said.
Currently, the New Hanover Zoning Hearing Board is taking testimony about Gibraltar’s proposed expanded quarry operations onto the site adjacent to the former Good Oil.
Experts for Gibraltar said the operation would not draw much if any further pollution, but an expert hired by the township maintains that more exposure to pollution by quarry operations is a very real possibility and that the methods proposed for treating any contamination found are inadequate.
The next zoning hearing is scheduled for Jan. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the township building and William “Ross” Snook, the newly appointed chairman of the township’s environmental advisory council, is expected to testify.