PA - MTBE tainted water will be pumped from wells

Wednesday, February 06, 2002

By Edward Levenson Staff Writer

The gasoline additive was found in wells near a Texaco station at Route 611 and Edison-Furlong Road.

DOYLESTOWN TWP. - A year after MTBE was found in wells near a Texaco station at Route 611 and Edison-Furlong Road, the station owner is preparing to pump out contaminated ground water.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has approved a "remedial action plan" prepared by a consultant for owner Motiva Enterprises.

The plan calls for pumping clean water into four wells on the station property to force the tainted ground water through pipes into an on-site recovery building, according to the report by Science Applications International Corp. of Harrisburg.

After treatment, the ground water will be discharged for re-use in the car wash on the station property. Any remaining ground water will be retained in the car wash holding tanks for eventual off-site disposal, the report says.

Pumping out the ground water is expected to reduce levels of MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether - a chemical added to gasoline to make it burn cleaner, in wells both on and off site, according to the consultant.

This tactic has been used at the Pools Corner Exxon at Routes 202 and 313, which was shut down in October 2000 after the presence of MTBE was made public. The pumping has substantially reduced contamination in wells at and around the station, according to owner ExxonMobil.

MTBE was discovered last January in a well supplying drinking water to the Texaco station and convenience store. The car wash was shut down while a contractor excavated soil that was tainted when a holding tank malfunctioned.

The gas pumps remained in operation and the car wash later reopened.

Motiva last February tested 33 wells within 1,000 feet downhill of the station and found six that had MTBE levels in excess of the DEP's threshold of 20 parts per billion. The six affected properties, all across Route 611 from the Texaco, included three homes and three businesses. A carbon filtration system was installed on each of those wells.

As a precaution, Motiva supplied bottled water to all residents within 1,000 feet downhill. Subsequent sampling showed the MTBE had not spread beyond the six wells and had not reached the Neshaminy Creek.

The latest quarterly report, based on December 2001 testing, indicated MTBE levels have dropped in the six wells, although five still are above the DEP standard.

Motiva also determined the MTBE contamination stemmed from a defective hose that leaked inside an underground gasoline storage tank in late December 1999 or early January 2000. The leaking hose was replaced and originally it was determined no soil had been contaminated.

However, after station employees complained in January 2001 of an odor in the drinking water, the well was tested and found to have a level of 152 parts per billion of MTBE.

Seven monitoring wells drilled on the station property are sampled quarterly. The December report shows the continued presence of MTBE in all seven, ranging from 325 to 83,600 parts per billion.

According to township manager Stephanie Mason, Motiva is considering extending public water to the affected area. This would involve hooking up to the township water system, which already extends as far as Turk and South Easton roads.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/intelligencerrecord/article1.asp?F_num=1450781

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2002