Ralph Realty UST Remediation
CommTank was retained by the property owner to install a new gasoline UST and retrofit several existing USTs as part of a station rebuild/renovation project at 733 South Main Street. During excavation operations to install a new canopy that is adjacent to the area of new and retrofitted USTs on November 9, 2016, CommTank discovered an abandoned 1,000-gallon capacity single-walled steel gasoline UST. CommTank notified the local Fire Prevention Department to obtain a removal permit and the UST was removed from the ground. Using a portable photoionization detector (PID) CommTank personnel measured readings of total organic vapors (TOVs), calibrated to benzene between 0 and 1,200 parts per million by volume (ppmv). The reading of 1,200 ppmv was measured at pit bottom (designated as PB), a depth of 7 feet below grade beneath the UST.
On November 10, 2016, Mr. Kevin J. Kavanaugh, LSP, CHMM for ECMS called the MassDEP – Southeast Regional Office (SERO), Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup on behalf of the property owner, Ralph Realty Trust LLC, to report an MCP 72-hour release notification requirement for a release of petroleum from a 1,000-gallon capacity petroleum UST [soil headspace or TOVs reading greater than 100 ppmv utilizing a PID during a UST removal/closure]. The MassDEP issued RTN 4-26419 and orally approved an IRA to include the excavation, stockpiling and offsite disposal of up to 250 cubic yards of petroleum-impacted soil and to remove up top 2,500-gallons of impacted groundwater within the excavation into an on-site storage tank for proper offsite disposal, if necessary.
Darkened soil at the bottom of the underground storage tank excavation is evidence of a leak
ECMS recommended that soil excavation be conducted in the area of the two (2) 1,000-gallon abandoned and removed USTs. Excavation of soils was extensive but based on post excavation soil sampling, it appears that the UST excavation can meet the requirements of a Method 1 Risk Characterization with the average exposure point concentration (EPC) below its respective Method 1 Soil Standard under the MCP.
Dan Hoag has worked in the environmental and tank storage industry for 16 years. Dan’s range of expertise includes designing systems for oil spill clean-ups, treating soil contamination through "in situ" oxidation and testing, and inspecting underground storage tank systems. As head of Marketing and Information Technologies at CommTank, Dan draws from field experience to write about fuel, water and chemical storage technologies, and the regulations that affect them. He has developed training courses in home inspection, underground storage tank operator, ultrasonic thickness and tank tightness testing. Over the past decade, Dan has published over 60 articles about industry trends and has documented commercial, residential, and environmental projects through illustration, videos, and photography. When Dan unplugs from technology, he spends his time backyard farming, hiking, and kayaking, while masquerading as a hockey player during the wee hours of the morning.