Colonial Pipeline gasoline spill could be far worse than reported, NC senator says
A Colonial Pipeline Co. gasoline spill near Huntersville could be far worse than the company reported, N.C. Sen. Natasha Marcus posted on social media.
About 63,000 gallons spilled on Aug. 14 from the underground pipeline that crosses Mecklenburg County’s 142-acre Oehler Nature Preserve at 14511 Huntersville-Concord Road, east of Huntersville, the county said.
As of Wednesday, according to the company, no petroleum compounds have been found in residential water wells and surface water samples. Colonial says it has installed 39 monitoring wells and 22 recovery wells.
Marcus, however, posted on Facebook that a company official recently acknowledged to her and State Rep. Christy Clark that the number of gallons “is likely to increase, perhaps significantly.”
The official made the remark after Marcus said she and Clark asked how many gallons had spilled.
“They were unable to answer at this time, but acknowledged that the estimate of 63,000 gallons was based on what they knew 48 hours after the leak was discovered, which was incomplete information,” Marcus said in her Sept. 5 post. “The next time they will report the total gallons leaked will be in their 30 day report.”
How Colonial knows more gasoline spilled
The company knows the number of gallons will be higher than originally reported “because they are recovering product now that they didn’t know was there after the first 48 hours,” Marcus said. “They say it is tricky to calculate the volume of product recovered, especially when they are drawing it from the top of the water table.”
WFAE first reported the senator’s post.
According to a review by the Observer of news media recordings of the meeting, a company official did not mention that more gallons could have spilled when he updated the Huntersville Town Board of Commissioners this week.
Asked by the Observer on Friday if more gallons spilled than Colonial Pipeline has reported, the company referred a reporter to its latest online update from Wednesday night and its online Frequently Asked Questions about the spill.
The update does not answer the question. The FAQ says most of what spilled — an estimated 1,500 barrels of gasoline — “was recovered by vacuum trucks onsite as it was being released.”
Mecklenburg County has received no new “quantitative analysis” that would show if the number of gallons that were spilled was greater or less than what the company originally reported, Tony Bateman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office said Friday afternoon.
Late Friday, the company notified him that it will provide an updated figure on the gallons spilled early next week, Bateman said.
The final number must be provided in the company’s site assessment report that’s due to the state Department of Environmental Quality by Nov. 14.
Gasoline recovery effort continues
Colonial said it “continues soil boring, excavation, and other activities at the site to delineate and recover additional product.”
Bateman said the work continues “24-7” and that all roads are open, except temporarily when a heavy piece of equipment is moved in.
Regarding how much petroleum might still be in the ground, the company said it continues to assess that.
The company says it is still investigating what caused the spill.
According to the company, Colonial pipes gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and home heating oil from refineries primarily located on the Gulf Coast, with customers throughout the South and East, through more than 5,500 miles of pipeline.
The spill near Huntersville came to light when two ATV riders saw liquid on the ground and smelled gasoline, according to the company.
The spill was reported off Huntersville-Concord Road between Lawther Road and Asbury Chapel Road.
Colonial said it shut down the pipeline “in a matter of minutes and crews were dispatched to the site. The pipeline was repaired as of 6 p.m. August 19.”
“We want to assure the community that there has been no detection of petroleum product compounds in any residential waterways,” a Colonial Pipeline official said at this week’s town board meeting.
Residents still concerned about their water
Still, he said, the company is offering $1,000 to well owners near the spill to switch to municipal water if they choose. He said the offer is not required by the state or local government.
Despite the company’s assurances, however, some residents say they remain concerned the gasoline will at some point seep into their well water.
“The fact that they have discovered free product in a shallow aquifer is a little concerning to me,” a woman posted in reply to the senator’s Facebook post. “I am about 600-700 ft from the original leak and my well is only 75 ft deep. It concerns me that it will reach my well eventually.“