$285,000 Abandoned Gas Station Cleanup Grant

Former Gas Station Property

$285,000 Abandoned Gas Station Cleanup Grant

La Rue, Ohio

PROBLEM:

This vacant corner lot, located in the small village of La Rue, Ohio had been vacant for nearly a decade and was previously used as an auto repair and gas station from 1920s to 1990s. After the previous owners abandoned the property, the Village of La Rue took over ownership. Previous environmental assessments, conducted by others, identified petroleum and hazardous substances at concentrations exceeding regulatory standards. In order to sell the property and have it redeveloped, the village needed a course of action to clean up the site, obtain No Further Action (NFA) status through the Ohio Bureau of Underground Storage Regulations (BUSTR) and comply with Ohio EPA Voluntary Action Program (VAP) standards.

SOLUTION:

Phoenix was engaged to conduct VAP Phase I and Phase II ESAs and various BUSTR corrective action assessments of the property. The assessments were conducted through Abandoned Gas Station Cleanup Grant funds, which are provided through the Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA), in partnership with the Ohio EPA and BUSTR. Based on the results of these assessments, a remediation method was necessary to ameliorate residual petroleum concentrations in soil and groundwater at the property. The remediation activities included removal of approximately 430 cubic yards of petroleum-contaminated soil (PCS) and placement of approximately 2,000 gallons of treatment chemicals into excavated trenches and existing groundwater monitoring wells at the property. The treatment chemicals consisted of a calcium and hydrogen peroxide solution, salt, and biological nutrients to enhance biological activity in the subsurface to accelerate the degradation of petroleum compounds. The remedial activities were conducted in late 2019.

In October 2020, an apparent oil spill was reported at the Property. Investigation by Phoenix personnel indicated a 300-gallon, orphan tank beneath the building footer. The two tanks encountered on the Property were not identified during the geophysical survey.

Following the remedial activities, Phoenix conducted post-remedial and quarterly groundwater sampling activities to gauge the effectiveness of the treatment.

RESULT:

In the fall of 2020, no detections of petroleum compounds were present in the post-remedial groundwater samples collected, indicating a successful remediation of the site. BUSTR granted No Further Action (NFA) status for the two releases on file for the Property on September 17, 2020 and November 9, 2020.

The total project cost was $285,000, which was completely covered through an Abandoned Gas Station Cleanup Grant (and budget amendments). The Village of La Rue did not pay a single penny out-of-pocket for the site investigation and cleanup costs.