Spill tab may be $100k

April 27, 2007

By Russell Stigall

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - The theft and spillage of a fuel tank results in a potential $100,000 cleanup bill for the Mat-Su Borough.

The tank was located at a parcel of property recently purchased and set aside by the borough as an erosion zone along the Matanuska River. The property is at Mile 64.8 of the Glenn Highway north of Sutton.

Demolition contractors with HDR Alaska were returning the land to its natural vegetative state on Sunday when they noticed that a 300-gallon home heating-fuel tank had been stolen from the property. During the theft, an estimated 50 to 150 gallons of heating fuel was spilled into porous rock on the site.

Alaska State Troopers and the state Department of Environmental Conservation were notified of the spill.

Environmental contractor Shannon and Wilson and HDR Alaska worked together on the initial cleanup and identification of the spill area, according to a borough press release.

The contractors have removed approximately 150 cubic yards of contaminated material from the spill area. They will continue excavation through Friday.

&#8220We expect to remove maybe another 50 yards,” said Dave Heier, Mat-Su Borough chief of Land and Resource Management.

DEC gave permission to the borough early in the week to transport the material to Anchorage for final treatment. But shipment of the contaminated soil was delayed until Alaska Soil Recycling opened for the season on Thursday.

&#8220Everything we've taken out so far is either on the way or in bags waiting to be taken into Anchorage for treatment tomorrow,” Heier said.

The full extent of contamination by the spill is not known.

&#8220We are awaiting laboratory results on the contamination to help delineate the spill contamination area and continue with the excavation of the contaminated material,” Heier said.

The porous soil and sensitive location next to the Matanuska River could make the relatively small spill expensive to clean.

&#8220It is definitely going to be over $100,000 to clean up,” Heier said. &#8220This type of intentional dumping for the theft of a fuel tank is inexcusable and will end up costing taxpayers a substantial amount of money to clean up the site.”

Kathy Wells, of Friends of Mat-Su, an organization that promotes responsible development, said the price of the spill will be shared by the entire borough.

The lack of response to the spill can be attributed to under-funded environmental agencies, Wells said.

&#8220It calls attention to the fact that Department of Environment Conservation and Environmental Protection Agency just are not there for us,” Wells said. &#8220They just don't have the personnel to come out in force.”

John Brown, environmental program specialist for DEC, said the contractors were approaching the boundaries of the spill in the gravel. However, Brown said if the spill area extends to the riverbank, the contractors will stop digging to avoid destabilizing the bank.

The contractors will also stop digging if they find the spill extends down to the water table, Brown said. The water table in the area is only about 14 feet below the surface.

&#8220We will stop digging and put in monitoring wells,” he said.

Brown said that due to the length of time the fuel has been sinking into the ground, he suspects the spill has probably reached the water table. Once it gets to water table the fuel floats.

&#8220It starts out looking like a little pimple of fuel. But over time it flattens out,” he said.

If the spill reaches the water table or the river the case will be transferred over to DEC's contaminated sites program for monitoring or corrective action, Brown said.

Brown said he doesn't think DEC will be able to take much corrective action.

&#8220Since we are so close to the river, we are limited on anything we can do,” Brown said.

DEC staff and troopers are looking for the tank thief or thieves. If found, the perpetrators will be turned over to DEC's Environmental Crimes Unit.

To report information about the theft of the tank or intentional dumping, contact troopers at 745-2131, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Land and Resource Management Office at 745-9869, or Brown at 269-7688.

Contact Russell Stigall at 352-2267 or russell.stigall@frontiersman.com