By Angela Marshall
Contaminated soil was first found in 1998 when owners of the station, which is located at 23-39 Maple Ave., had gasoline tanks removed. Approximately 200 cubic yards of soil was excavated and piled at the site, but testing and remediation were never performed.
Until now.
The testing of the soil is being conducted by EnviroTrac, an environmental clean-up firm hired by the DEC. Mark Lowery, DEC spokesman, said the investigation is one-third complete and he expects it to be finished by next month.
Lowery said the plume is headed in a west, south west direction. "The plume does not appear to be threatening any water supply wells," he said.
However, Lowery did caution that anyone in the vicinity with a private well used for watering the lawn, drinking or care of animals should contact the DEC's Oil Spills Unit at (631) 444-0320.
MTBE, a chemical set to be banned from gasoline sold in New York in 2003, is among the gasoline components found in the soil. Because MTBE is water soluble, it is difficult to remove once it has reached ground water and requires more complicated and expensive technology.
Until the soil and ground water testing is completed, the DEC will not know what if any remediation will be conducted.
EnviroTrac will also test for gasoline vapors in the air in the soil. If high traces are found, the DEC will work with the Nassau County Department of Health to trace exposure paths above ground. This may involve testing the air in nearby homes.
Lowery does not think the upward pressure would be enough to push the vapors out but said, "We certainly want to rule that out."
When asked if past exposure might have caused health problems for neighbors, Lowery said "We can't reconstruct very easily what happened in the past."
As for why the investigation wasn't conducted years ago, Lowery said in a past interview that the DEC sent four letters to Harry Weinstein, one of the service center's owners, between January 1999 and January 2000. When they received no response, the DEC hired EnviroTrac in June to begin the testing.
Weinstein's partner in the 23 Maple Avenue Reality Corp., Lawrence Testori, died, but his estate is still considered responsible for part of the testing and cleanup.
Because Weinstein has failed to address the leak himself, the investigation is being funded by the State Spill Fund, Lowery said. The DEC can then fine the property owners up to three times the cost of clean up.
Weinstein did not return calls. While the business no longer sells gasoline, it is open as a service station for vehicle repairs.
