Whitefish fuel leak linked to gas station

By LYNNETTE HINTZE

The Daily Inter Lake

Soil samples taken from test wells at a fuel seep in the Whitefish River show the contamination likely is linked to the Town Pump gas station/convenience store, a state environmental official said Monday.

"We think there's a tentative connection between [the seep] and Town Pump," said John Arrigo, administrator of the Department of Environmental Quality's Enforcement Division.

The chemical analysis of the samples will be completed within the next couple of weeks, he said, adding that the contamination was found at a depth of 35 feet.

The state is drafting a letter this week to the Whitefish City Council that is expected to outline the history of the problem and a proposal for mitigation.

The fuel seep has been a source of frustration for city officials for more than two years, but the problem took on new momentum two weeks ago when Whitefish Lake Institute Director Mike Koopal brought bottles of the gasoline-laced effluent to a City Council meeting. He told the council the water contained benzene levels 39 times the level allowed for drinking water.

The limit for benzene in water is 5 parts per billion.

THE SAGA began at the site near the U.S. 93 bridge and Town Pump in 2003 when a tank leak was reported and confirmed. A leaky pipe union subsequently was fixed, Arrigo said.

Kevin Kenneally, one of Town Pump's owners, sent a letter to the city last week, noting that the business' leak-detection systems are monitored daily and "there is no indication of a current release at this site."

"While the source of the hydrocarbons is not yet known, Town Pump shares the city of Whitefish's concerns regarding the seep and has worked in full cooperation with the Department of Environmental Quality to further investigate the source and mitigate any impact to the Whitefish River," Kenneally wrote.

In July 2005 soil samples were taken after a complaint was filed with the state, and although contamination was found, a source was not determined. Several factors caused delays, Arrigo said. Town Pump switched consultants and exploration on adjoining land owned by the Hamilton family was abandoned after the property owners failed to complete the site preparation needed for metal detectors to locate underground tanks.

By July 2006 only traces of gasoline were evident and there was "no free product" flowing into the river, Arrigo said.

Given the low discharge volume, the natural vaporizing that occurs with gasoline and the assumption that people don't drink Whitefish River water, the seep isn't considered by the state to be an immediate public-health threat, Arrigo said.

The proposed cleanup plan includes digging a trench to the contaminated zone and then intercepting the fuel, but river-bank stability and the depth of the leak both pose problems, he said.

Fuel that seeped into the soil from the 2003 leak may be the source of contamination. Clay soil in that area could have slowed the seep over time until it reached a sand zone and filtered into the river.

"We're hoping we're looking at residual from the 2003 leak," Arrigo said.

The Town Pump site would qualify for cleanup money from the state's tank-release compensation fund. If Town Pump is found liable for the seep, the corporation would pay half of the first $35,000. The fund would reimburse further costs up to $1 million.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com