By Robert Remler
A fuel line at South failed a decade ago and leaked an estimated 14,000 gallons of oil, according to DEC records. Mark Lowery, the agency's regional director, said the spill "resulted in soil contamination, oil floating on top of the ground water, and leaching into Mill Creek." The fuel line leak was reported to the DEC on Oct. 22, 1990, and repaired within a week, according to Mr. Lowery.
Initial response to the leak involved "booming" of the adjacent creek, a process that included vacuuming the oil from the storage tank and manual bailing of the spilled oil from nearby monitoring wells.
Not all the spilled oil was recovered, however. School officials say some of the fuel migrated away from the original spill site.
The DEC asked the district five months ago to enter into a stipulation agreement to remedy the remaining contamination, said Mr. Lowery. The district has been "attempting to develop an acceptable corrective and remedial plan and secure funding" since last year, he said.
The disposition of the storage tank still in the ground is a separate issue. "Tank replacement might not solve the problem," said Mr. Lowery. "However, remedial actions taken in conjunction with tank removal and replacement may achieve case closure," he said.
Cynthia Brown, spokesperson for the Nassau County Department of Health, said that the oil tank has been tested annually since 1988. She said that tests are conducted for the purpose of determining leakage. Ms. Brown said that the single-walled, 15,000-gallon tank at South would have to be removed by 2005 to conform to standards that require a double-walled tank.
District Building Administrator Joseph Singleton told the Board of Education this month that they must respond to the DEC's request for a plan to clean up what's left of the spill. He also suggested replacing the tank now.
Mr. Singleton said that some spilled oil was discovered to have moved from the original spill site when more classrooms were recently added to South. Pumping efforts became ineffective when "the oil moved the other way," from the stationary pumps, said Mr. Singleton.
The proposed plan to remedy the situation, at least in part, is to put in a new, better placed pump and replace the 15,000-gallon tank with a 7,000-gallon tank, according to Mr. Singleton. "Since we have to do all this remedial work, we figured that we might as well replace the tank now to save time." If approved by the DEC, work should begin this summer.
Money for removing and replacing the existing oil tank was allocated in the district's bond issue, according to Mr. Singleton. Cost for the project could range between $250,000 to $450,000, said Mr. Singleton. Final cost will depend on how much oil has to be pumped from the existing tank, he said.
The district has contracted with an environmental consulting firm to monitor the remediation and present a proposal to the DEC by Nov. 30. Mr. Singleton said that if the DEC approves the consultant's plan, the project will be sent out to bid.
