Investigation into Ventura gas leak could take months

Officials last week approved a plan to investigate the extent to which the Ventura gasoline spill may have contaminated soil and groundwater.

However, officials said the work could take months.

one in september gas-like odor is emitted It passed through the city’s waterfront Pierpont neighborhood, prompting two evacuations in four days. More than a week after the initial reports, the agencies said: They tracked down the source. To the Sinclair gas station on Harbor Boulevard.

An estimated 2,000 gallons of fuel leaked, some spilling into groundwater and the city’s sewer system. Authorities now need to figure out how far underground the leak might have traveled.

Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board asked the station’s owner, Neda Oil, Inc., to submit a bid to do the work. In a letter released Thursday, the water board signed off on the plans with certain conditions.

One of these requirements Set a deadline of January 31 For a report on the investigation and its findings. The document should include laboratory results, estimated length of the smoke plume, and recommendations.

Plans offered by FREY Environmental Inc., on behalf of Neda Oil, is calling for drilling a series of wells about a quarter-mile from the ocean and collecting soil and vapor samples at the site. The Newport Beach-based firm estimated the study and report could take eight to 10 weeks once the necessary permits are obtained.

Meanwhile, city officials say a portion of the sewer line will need to be bypassed and costly operations to monitor the area will likely need to continue.

How did gasoline get into the sewer line?

Portion of Monmouth Road between Harbor and Pierpont avenues remains closed Municipal teams continue their work.

A glow was spotted in the city’s sewer system last month after residents reported the odor. Officials said there were cracks in the line where the fuel was probably moving towards the pipe.

Jennifer Buckley, the city’s communications manager, said Ventura Water has isolated a portion of the line and bypass operation is expected to continue until the leak is fixed.

Officials say the gasoline spill only affected sewer lines, not storm drains or the city’s water system. But Buckley said the city continues to test and monitor the area in case of additional impacts.

There is a City Council local emergency declareda move that could help authorities tap into disaster relief funds. Latest estimates for Ventura’s cost are $2.7 million, officials said.

The station has remained closed since the leak was discovered, but the station owner is working with the fire department on corrective measures, according to Buckley. If those requirements are met, he said, the city is legally required to allow the facility owner to reopen the station’s pumps.

How did the fuel leak happen?

The regional water board is expected to oversee the site inspection and subsequent cleanup efforts.

Under FREY’s proposal, groundwater and soil samples would be screened for a list of compounds including benzene, toluene and ethanol.

Initial findings showed that the leak may have occurred near one of the gas pumps. The fuel comes from underground storage tanks, travels through a series of pipes to a dispenser where people pump their gas.

To prevent any leaks and try to keep them small and under control, the government requires all tanks and pipes to be double-walled. That means a secondary system can capture and hold gasoline in the event of a leak, officials said. A containment area under each dispenser should catch any spills and a sensor should detect when a leak has occurred.

However, in this case, officials said they found that the containment area was filled with gasoline and the sensor was broken. Last month, state officials called the incident a “catastrophic failure” of security measures.

Underground tank systems must be electronically monitored and equipment must be tested annually, according to the state. The Sinclair station was inspected by the fire department and required annual maintenance and testing was performed in June.

Reporter Wes Woods II contributed to this report.

Cheri Carlson covers environmental and county government for the Ventura County Star. reach out to him [email protected].