Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI), August 6, 2012
Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com
West Shore Pipe Line Co. is expected to submit a ground water remediation plan to the state Department of Natural Resources by Wednesday that will describe how the company will remove and treat gasoline-tainted ground water in the Town of Jackson, a state environmental official said Monday.
A contractor for the company has nearly completed drilling a large six-inch diameter well to a depth of 160 feet to be used for extracting ground water contaminated with gasoline from a July 17 fuel pipeline break, said Patrick Hodgins, director of health, safety, security and environment for Buckeye Partners, L.P., operator of the pipeline for West Shore.
The well is being drilled on the property of Patrick and Sally McComis west of the spill in the 1800 block of Western Ave.
Several smaller diameter wells originally constructed to monitor ground water flow and depth beneath the spill also could be converted to use for extracting contaminated ground water, said Scott Ferguson, DNR spill coordinator in Milwaukee. Ferguson is responsible for approving a ground water remediation plan before pumping could begin.
A total of 19 wells have been dug on the McComis property and neighboring parcels east and north of the spill for a variety of purposes, from ground water monitoring to vapor identification and extraction. Small amounts of tainted water accumulating in a few small wells have been pumped into a tanker truck for disposal, Hodgins said.
A tanker was parked Monday on the McComis lawn in case it was needed.
Nonstop pumping of large volumes of contaminated ground water out of the shallow aquifer in fractured dolomite bedrock could begin later this week, he said. The water would be trucked off site for treatment, under a preliminary plan.
No benzene was detected in tests of water samples collected last week from the Village of Jackson municipal well and the well serving Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School, Hodgins said Monday.
The company has offered to test the village and school wells once a week to make certain they remain safe for drinking, he said.
As of Sunday, a total of 21 private wells in the Town of Jackson had been confirmed to be contaminated with gasoline from a July 17 fuel pipeline break in the 1800 block of Western Ave., Hodgins said.
The company has collected water samples for testing from 188 wells at 179 residences in a state-designated drinking water advisory area around the pipeline break.
Residents of the area should use bottled water for drinking, cooking and food preparation. The area extends from Jackson Drive on the west to Center Road on the east, from Sherman Road on the north to Spring Valley Road on the south.
The pipeline extends from the Chicago area north to Green Bay. A section of ruptured pipe was replaced and the line reopened July 21.
An estimated 54,600 gallons of gasoline leaked from the pipeline, according to West Shore.
The Village of Jackson is not in the drinking water advisory area. The village operates five municipal wells within the village limits, Jackson Public Works Director Brian Kober said.
Tests of two municipal wells closest to the pipeline break did not detect gasoline contaminants, Kober said. Those two wells pump water at a depth of around 300 feet beneath the surface.
Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School operates two wells, one for drinking water and one for irrigation, at its campus on Division Road, Superintendent David Bartelt said Monday. Tests of both wells did not detect gasoline and the school will request West Shore to regularly retest the wells, he said.
The school is not in the drinking water advisory area. About 425 students attend the rural school.
Now that the two wells have tested safe, all families in the drinking water advisory area are invited to a free community dinner 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the high school, Bartelt said. Families are invited to bring jugs to fill with drinking water, he said.
Residents with pets or livestock are welcome to bring larger containers Thursday to fill with water for their animals from the irrigation well.