DEC tests Woodmere gas spill soil

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Nearly a foot of soil contaminated by oil spilled on Peninsula Boulevard between Lafayette Drive and Saddle Ridge Road in Woodmere during the July 22 crash of a gasoline tanker was excavated on July 29 and 30.

The sampling of soils taken by the Calverton-based Miller Environmental Group on patches of grass between the sidewalk and the curbside of Peninsula Boulevard were to be tested for the remaining contaminates, according to The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

DEC spokeswoman Aphrodite Montalvo said new soil was also installed in the site. Most of the 2,000 gallons of spilt gas trickled into storm drains, and had been removed with vacuum trucks, according to Montalvo.

The gas spill caused at least 45 homes in the immediate area to be evacuated, but residents were allowed back into their houses by noon of the same day.

Flushing of the gasoline continued on July 23 and July 24, as DEC officials were confident that there were "no impacts to surface water or wetlands," Montalvo said, noting that rainfall on July 23 helped expedite the cleanup.