More Than 3K Gallons Of Oil Leaks From Enterprise Dr. Tank

CHATHAM – As much as 3,500 gallons of home heating oil leaked into the earth beneath an above-ground storage tank on Enterprise Drive in September.

Up to 3,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil was removed from the Whiteley Fuel Oil facility on Enterprise Drive and taken to a disposal facility in New Hampshire, according to documents on file with the state department of environmental protection.

There was no indication that any of the fuel oil made its way into the nearby Frost Fish Creek, according to health agent Judith Giorgio. There are no private wells in the area, which is served by town water, she said.

The leak of number 2 home heating fuel oil was first reported on Sept. 11, according to Fire Chief Justin Tavano. The manager of the facility reported an inventory showed less product than should have been in the 10,000-gallon above-ground tank. There was no visible oil in the containment basin beneath the tank.

“It was a bit of a mystery when we showed up,” Tavano said. Fuel remaining in the tank was pumped out, and both DEP and the health department were notified. The company hired a contractor, GRS Environmental of Middleton, to assess the situation.

According to one of the DEP filings about the incident, the release of the oil was due to a water draw-off valve on the tank breaking.

It appeared that the oil seeped out of the containment unit between the concrete slab and walls, Tavano said. A subsequent DEP report confirmed this. According to the report, soil below and around the edges of the containment unit showed the presence of fuel oil in high concentrations. DEP initially authorized the removal of 500 cubic yards of contaminated soil, revising that amount up to 1,500 cubic yards on Oct. 10, and increasing it by another 1,500 cubic yards on Oct. 26.

The concrete containment unit measured 70 by 25 feet. Soil was excavated more than eight feet deep and two feet beyond the containment structure. Tavano said he was told the material was found as deep as 20 feet.

In a Nov. 10 letter to DEP, Dennis Giustra, principal engineer with GRS Environmental, said the removal of contaminated material was completed and the site “appears to meet the criteria for closure” under DEP regulations. The deadline for a phase 1 report on the incident is one year from the date the spill was reported, according to a DEP spokesperson.

Tavano said he did not know the age of the tank from which the spill occurred. “It’s definitely been around for a while,” he said.

Asked why a public announcement had not been made about the spill, Tavano said there was no immediate threat to public health, “our first concern.”

The property is owned by Nauset Properties of Springfield. A message left at Whiteley’s office seeking comment was not returned by press time.