City and state investigators continue to monitor an area in Old West Lawrence where gasoline has pooled underground, Lawrence Fire Chief Mark Bradford said Friday.
"This is a process that will take several weeks, if not months, to correct," Bradford said after an online chat on the Journal-World's Web site.
Bradford told the online audience that his department and others were working to assure the area of Ninth and Louisiana streets was safe.
As of Friday morning, the sanitary sewer and storm water systems were free of combustible materials, he wrote.
An underground fuel tank leak at the Presto Convenience Store, 602 W. Ninth St., is suspected of causing a fire Sunday that destroyed a five-apartment house at 838 La. The house is across the street, east of Presto.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment officials are requiring that the Presto fuel tanks be removed on Monday.
"They have found significant contamination of the soil around those tanks, even though the pressure tests of the tanks and the service piping have all been approved," Bradford said. "There is still obviously a lot of fuel there. Upwards to 1,000 gallons of gasoline have been removed from that site."
More about the chat
He said KDHE was installing monitoring wells throughout the neighborhood to find where the gasoline had seeped.
Officials also will study historical data to try to find whether old fuel tanks had been left underground when they went out of service.
"There may be a spill in the area that nobody is aware of," Bradford said.
He said daily monitoring by the city's utilities department and Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical would continue to ensure the area's safety.
During the chat, Bradford also responded to other questions related to the department. To read the transcript, see a video interview and make comments, go to www2.ljworld.com/news/chats/newsmakers/.
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ASBESTOS (anonymous) says…
"Officials also will study historical data to try to find whether old fuel tanks had been left underground when they went out of service."
Should have been done with that particular chore in 1996.
"He said KDHE was installing monitoring wells throughout the neighborhood to find where the gasoline had seeped."
KDHE should NOT be installing monitoring wells. A contractor or consultant without a dog in the race whould be doing that. KDHE is a regulator that has messed up and is now wanting to be a consultant on the project.
Dan anyone see the conflict of interest, the regulator who screwed up is the one whos is the "consultant" on the project?
""They have found significant contamination of the soil around those tanks, even though the pressure tests of the tanks and the service piping have all been approved," Bradford said. "There is still obviously a lot of fuel there. Upwards to 1,000 gallons of gasoline have been removed from that site.""
I guess the KDHE leak test was not properly ran then was it. Again the regulator cannot be the consultant.
"Kansas Department of Health and Environment officials are requiring that the Presto fuel tanks be removed on Monday."
""There may be a spill in the area that nobody is aware of," Bradford said."
OK 2 statements that do not compute. If the leak is not coming from Presto why do they have to remove the tanks if it is not the "source of the leak"? Again KDHE cannot wear the 2 hats of consultant and regulator. If the leak source is comewhere else, I hope PRESTO sues the pants off of kdhe!
note: Mr. Bradford is a fire Official and not an environmental professional so my criticism of this event should not be construed to be at him or about his role, he is trying to keep things from burning.
The reason I am raising hell about this is because KDHE needs to be changed and drastically reformed.
Ragingbear (anonymous) says…
Presto is probably quaking in their shoes. If the leak is from their tanks, then they can and probably will be held liable for all the damage, including the fire. If the tanks were there before they took ownership, and it is in fact an old tank nobody was aware of, they can still be held liable because they are the property owners.
In either case, I doubt they will see any reimbursment from the city, state ect for the removed tanks, loss of business, property damage ect.
Say bye bye to Presto. One way or another, they're gone.