The failure of an underground pipe allowed an estimated 25,000 gallons of gasoline to flow into the ground and to the water table 20 feet beneath the Magellan Pipeline Company’s Wausau Terminal in Kronenwetter, state environmental officials report.
The company reported the release Dec. 4 when an inventory of gasoline came up short and immediately contacted state and local officials.
Investigators with the state Department of Health and Family Services and the Marathon County Health Department have determined there is no current risk to public health as the leak is underground. The residential neighborhood to the west of the Magellan facility is served by municipal water.
The broken line has since been repaired and the company has begun preliminary work for the investigation of the spill and the recovery of the gasoline. Groundwater samples have been collected from three perimeter wells on the west side of the property, in the direction of groundwater flow. Laboratory analysis shows the contamination has not reached the property boundary.
“Magellan has been responsive to this release,” said DNR hyrdogeologist Lisa Gutknecht. “They’ve started the required investigations. They have to clean it to Wisconsin groundwater standards.”
Company engineers drilled new wells in the immediate area of the spill where free gasoline is floating on groundwater and have begun pumping operations. Gasoline vapors present in the soil will be monitored to protect the health of company employees and customers using the terminal.
“Protecting the health of our employees and the public is our first priority,” said Scott
Benick, an environmental specialist for Magellan Pipeline. “We are working with the DNR and the public health departments to ensure that the environmental effects of this release are minimized and mitigated in a timely manner.”
Once the “free” gasoline is removed, the company will work with the DNR to determine the best technology to recover gas mixed with groundwater and soil.
The cleanup will be monitored by the state Department of Natural Resources.
Groundwater investigations have begun, Gutknecht said. It’s too early to predict what methods might be employed or how long the process will take but it could be years. Depending on the cleanup and recovery strategy, the company might need to obtain a surface water discharge permit or air emissions permit or both.
The important thing is to stabilize the underground gas plume so that it is no longer expanding and can be treated in place, Gutknecht said.
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