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Monday, November 07, 2011
Environment - Leaking underground storage tanks a continuing problem in Indiana
Jeff Wiehe has a lengthy story today in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, headed "Cleaning up leaky problem
Decrepit storage tanks litter state underground." Some quotes:
Two years ago, Indiana received $4 million in federal stimulus money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fix such leaking storage tank systems. The money – $2.6 million of which has already been spent – is going toward the cleanup or repair of 28 sites statewide.But that will hardly make a dent in the number of leaking storage tanks throughout the state [more than 2,100], which property owners are responsible for and could require more than an estimated $400 million to completely fix.
The 28 sites chosen to receive the stimulus money all have something in common with Jerry’s Marathon:
“Typically, those are sites where the responsible party is no longer around or is bankrupt,” said Bruce Palin, IDEM’s assistant commissioner for the office of land quality.
In other cases, the owner of the property must pay for tank repairs as well as cleanup of the surrounding environment, according to IDEM. This includes testing the soil and groundwater to gauge the extent of the leak.
Failure to properly take care of any problems can result in fines and penalties. Since Jan. 1, 2009, IDEM has collected $227,689 in fines through the enforcement of cases involving leaking underground storage tanks.
For some property owners, finding out they even have an underground storage tank can come as a surprise.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on November 7, 2011 02:27 PM
Posted to Environment