CENTERBURG — The Centerburg Shell station remains in cleanup mode after Fire Chief Mark McCann ordered the pumps turned off last month due to a gas leak.
The investigation started on April 11 when a Calhoun Street resident requested the Central Ohio Joint Fire District check an odor in his home.
COJFD’s fire prevention officer smelled nothing outside of the residence. However, he noted a smell similar to gasoline inside. Detection meters registered no limit alarms.
The resident opened windows to air out the house. When the fire prevention officer checked the next day, the smell was gone.
The COJFD received another call on April 21 to investigate a possible gas leak at the same address. The next day, occupants of Centerburg Village Hall reported an odor.
COJFD personnel checked eight addresses on Clayton, Calhoun, and East Main streets that are proximal to the Shell station.
McCann notified the Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations (BUSTR) and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
At noon on April 22, he ordered the station’s owner to shut down the pumps.
Acknowledging the economic effect closing the pumps would have on the business, McCann said, “In the end, the only sure way to contain a leak and keep the community safe is to shut off the entire gas station.”
Resolving the gas leak
BUSTR inspections on April 23 identified leaks in the tank and more than 50 percent of the lines. The EPA discovered a small amount of fuel in the village’s sewer system.
Because more than 50 percent of the lines need replacing, BUSTR requires all of them to be replaced. McCann said the station owner could repair the tank leak.
The EPA advised village officials to flush the sewer system with 500 gallons of water to eliminate the fuel.
Over the next several days, BUSTR officials monitored an inspection well. By April 25, the odors were gone in all of the buildings. The station owner started replacing lines on April 26.
On Friday, the mitigation company Buckeye Elm installed a pipe and fan to vent any vapor that might be in the sewer.
They plan to cut a ditch this week and lay corrugated pipe with risers to allow vapor or fumes trapped in the dirt to escape.
The odor in the Village Hall is completely gone; the basement odor is very minimal.
Cherry Alley behind the Shell station will remain closed while the work continues.
The EPA and BUSTR continue to monitor the situation.
Mayor Greg Sands commended Chief McCann and the COJFD for the way they handled the situation and notifying the appropriate state departments.
