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Public meeting set for gas plume remediation

CLOVIS — A state-led drilling project to remediate a gasoline plume in the area where Prince meets 21st and Commerce Streets is the topic of a public meeting Wednesday night at the Clovis-Carver Public Library.

The library’s North Annex will host the 7 p.m. meeting with the New Mexico Environment Department Petroleum Storage Tank Bureau and its contractor Daniel B. Stephens and Associates.

The three-month project, expected to begin following the Memorial Day weekend, involves drilling to groundwater levels — about 325 feet, PSTB Project Manager Renee Romero said — for installation of two monitoring wells and two remediation wells.

“It will depend on the wells we’re installing,” Romero said, “but each one will have road or lane closures.”

The meeting will include a presentation by the PSTB and Stephens and Associates, followed by questions from audience members.

The meeting came at the request of the city’s public works committee, following an update on the project during its March 27 meeting.

“I think our main purpose is to make sure we let people know what we’re doing in that area, and basically what’s happening,” Committee Chairman Chris Bryant said. “One of the main concerns, of course, is going to be traffic control. It’s a high-traffic area, and we have to be concerned about keeping a good movement of traffic. We also need to let people know about alternate routes to take.”

An investigation initially began in 2011 on the plume, first discovered when an Allsup’s convenience store replaced its tank system in conjunction with a store renovation. Investigation continued offsite and more contamination was found around where Commerce Street ends — the site of a former “Y station” that was in operation until the 1980s.

Stephens and Associates representatives said the plume is likely from many sources over the last half-century. Because there were few if any regulations on underground tanks decades ago, there’s little way to quantify any specific business’ responsibility, and no mechanism to levy fines to those businesses — which likely no longer exist anyway, officials have said.

There is no evidence the plume has had any impact on city-owned wells, but the plume has shown the ability to slowly migrate.

The plan is to do sonic drilling, which would produce less soil cutting and require less water than other methods. Contamination would be removed through a dual-phase extraction process, by vacuuming out the vapor portion and then pumping and treating the groundwater. Stephens and Associates plans to send the treated water through the city’s sewer system, where it can be used as effluent water.

The plume is unrelated to water contamination near Cannon Air Force Base, and work isn’t anticipated to impact water service or other utilities.

Information: Romero, 575-291-2109

 
 
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