On May 30, 2007 the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)requested assistance from US EPA Region 4 in dealing with a release of approximately 5,500 gallons of gasoline. The release occured on February 3, 2007 when a young driver (approximately age 17) stopped at Crossroads Grocery to fill his vehicle gas tank with gas. The young man was reportedly driving a stolen car (car was owned by his mother) as well as attempting to buy alcohol and tobacco before fueling the vehicle when he began to get nervous and sped away from the store without removing the gas dispensing nozel thus releasing approximately 5,500 gallons of gasoline. The Crossroads Grocery is located at the intersection of West River Rd and Sims Bridge Rd in Franklinton, Franklin County NC. Site ID# Z4L2. FPN# E07415.
On May 31, 2007 OSC Rhame met with DENR and Higland Environmental Solutions (Potentially Responsible Party's Consultant) at Crossroads Grocery to get additional details and perform a visual assessment.
After talking to the PRPs consultant it was found that when the young driver pulled away from the dispenser on Feb. 9th without removing the nozzle, the dispenser was yanked from the pump island. The control valve was then turned off at the above ground storage tank (AST). Repairs were made the following Monday, control valve turned back on. The next business day there was a large moist stained area in the gravel lot with a strong odor of gasoline. It was found that the underground piping (fiberglass) leading from the AST to the dispenser island had broken off and was not noticed during the initial repairs. According to tank inventories, an estimated 5,500 gallons was released.
The current owner (Ed Wilson) of Crossroads Grocery does not have insurance that covers this type of circumstance, drivers insurance policy covers up to $50,000.00.
Using the $50,000.00 insurance coverage Highlands Environmental Solutions was hired.
Three monitoring wells were installed. The wells were installed to a depth of about 15 to 25 feet. Two of the wells contained product, one well had approximately 18 inches of product and another well had approximately 6 inches of product. There is an unnamed creek approximately .5 miles downgradient, ther is a storm drain in the parking lot, this storm drain is believed to lead under the road to a open ditch which will eventually discharge to the unnamed creek. Approximately 1200 gallons of liquid (water and product) was recovered in March; however, there has been no contaminated soils removed to date. There are five private wells within .24 miles of the spill area that was visually observed, one is a well on the Crossroads Grocery property that is used for drinking water, two are located across the street which are private residential wells also used for drinking water. US EPA was informed that the wells have been sampled by either DENR or the PRP consultant, nothing was detected in the well on the Crossroads Grocery property, the other samples have not been completed.
OSC Rhame advised the PRPs consultant that a report needed to be made to the NRC.
No surface water impacted yet. Shallow groundwater has been impacted with residential wells in the area.
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