DEQ closes case on fuel spill near new Wawa on Greenbrier Drive

Anyone who notices liquid or gaseous chemicals in places they are not supposed to be can file a report with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.  (go look)

Several people in the Greenbrier neighborhood did just that on June 9 when they experienced odd smells while walking on a trail that follows Meadow Creek. According to a report filed that morning with the DEQ, forty gallons of diesel fuel spilled at 1215 Seminole Trail, which recently opened as a Wawa convenience store. 

“The fuel impacted a storm drain and HEPACO is on scene cleaning the spill,” reads the original pollution report. “No VDEM assistance requested.”

Consulting the imaginary Album of Acronyms, HEPACO is the Hazardous Environmental Products Abatement Company which services sites all across the eastern United States. VDEM is the Virginia Department of Emergency Management. 

The report also notes that the spill was reported to the DEQ by ERTS. Let’s consult the album again.

“ERTS is an industry-leader in spill response management with 24/7/365 coverage across North America,” reads their website.

The Kenan Advantage Group hired ERTS to report the incident. The spill was also reported by Albemarle County Fire Rescue because this property is in Albemarle County and not Charlottesville. 

On June 21, the DEQ updated the report. One more acronym definition: UST is Underground Storage Tank.

“DEQ understands that in the process of filling a diesel UST, the transfer line from the tanker truck to the UST become over-pressurized, causing the transfer line to detach from the UST fill pipe,” reads the final report. “After the transfer line detached, an estimated 100-gallons of diesel fuel discharged to the asphalt parking lot, storm drain, and nearby tributary to Meadow Creek.”

The case was closed yesterday, which according to the DEQ website means that cleanup goals have been met.

“Closure means that any remaining contaminants no longer pose a risk to receptors,” the page reads. “DEQ documents the closure by issuing a letter stating that no further cleanup action is necessary. DEQ does not issue letters stating that a site is clean.'”

DEQ considers the case closed because the “pollution report being managed by a media-specific program” with a reference number of #2024-6106 under the agency’s underground storage registration system.

“DEQ’s petroleum tank cleanup program provides oversight to hundreds of petroleum cleanups each year and ensures that human health and Virginia’s natural resources are protected from the impacts of petroleum spills,” reads the program’s webpage on cleanup activities.

In this case, the clean-up is being managed by ERTS. The report does not appear to indicate that a correction action plan in in place, but I’ll follow-up with DEQ to confirm.

“These plans contain cleanup goals that need to be met in order for DEQ to close the case,” the DEQ clean-up page continues. “Examples of cleanup methods are soil excavation, groundwater treatment using a temporary or permanent cleanup system, soil vapor extraction, drinking water well replacement or other innovative technologies.”

Other open DEQ reports from recent incidents:

• On June 7, a representative of Dominion Energy reported land-disturbing activities that were leading to discharge of sediment into Totier Creek in southeastern Albemarle (need the report?)
• An estimated 30 gallons of diesel fuel was released and contained on site on June 12 at exit 118-A in Albemarle County (a look at the report)
• On June 13, a complaint was made against a landowner in Earlysville for importing improper fill materials using several dump trucks. The complain is anonymous. (bring up the report)
• On June 17, a demolition contractor working on the redevelopment of the Ridgewood Mobile Home Park damaged two electrical transformers. That caused about 79 gallons of “non-PCB mineral” into adjacent soils. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this refers to “polychlorinated biphenyls” which were discontinued in the United States in 1977. More in Monday’s edition of the newsletter. (view the report)

For more on DEQ reports, take a look at their pollution reporting portal. 

Before you go: The time to write and research of this article is covered by paid subscribers to Charlottesville Community Engagement. In fact, this particular installment is from the June 17, 2024 edition of the newsletter. This particular story was updated with about an hour’s worth of work on June 22, 2024. To ensure this sort of information can continue to be produced, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or contributing monthly through Patreon.