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By JOHN DECKER jdecker@leader.net
Saturday, February 05, 2000 Page: 3A
State Rep. George Hasay appeared surprised Friday when he saw just how
small of a gas valve had caused the on-going environmental headache near Chase
Corners.
“Five thousand five hundred gallons, huh,” said Hasay, referring to the
amount of gasoline that spewed from the 1-inch valve at the Sun Pipe Line Co.
transfer station.
Though it might be a last resort, Hasay suggested the possibility of
building a public water system in an area where seven residents’ wells have
been contaminated.
Hasay, R-Shickshinny, held an hourlong question-and-answer session on
Friday afternoon with township residents, company officials and the Department
of Environmental Protection before he inspected the Jan. 19 spill site and an
affected home.
He said he also wanted to get a feel for what additional funding may be
needed for alternative water supplies if the private drinking wells continue
to test positive for gasoline contamination.
Hasay said he called the meeting to ensure that all state agencies are
properly monitoring the subsequent well water problems and that Sun is doing
its “utmost” to assist those agencies.
A Department of Environmental Protection official assured Hasay and
residents that the company has been a key component in the cleanup.
“These things, we don’t like them to happen but we know they do happen.
There’s not a single thing we could do about the incident,” said an
unidentified DEP official.
“As far as companies go, this particular company has been the most
cooperative, the most reasonable people to deal with that I’ve ever dealt
with. And I’m doing this 28 years.”
The official told residents that Sun had three drilling rigs on-site within
12 hours of the spill. He said getting that size machinery on-site that
quickly is “virtually unheard of.”
After touring the pipeline site off Huntsville Road, Hasay accepted an
invitation to tour the Chase Road home of Melanie Phillips.
The first stop was her kitchen sink. Hasay said he detected a faint odor of
gas in the glass of water Phillips poured for him. Phillips then showed Hasay
the water filtration system officials built in her basement.
“Yes, I am hurt. Yes, I am angry. Sometimes I think it’s all going to go
away,” she told Hasay.
Phillips, like others, wants one key question answered: “Can I drink my
water?”
She said she continues to drink bottled water and boils her tap water for
washing dishes.
A DEP official said the agency is asking toxicology experts from the state
Department of Health to determine if the water is safe to drink. “We’re
reaching out to the best experts money can buy.”
Approximately 2,150 gallons of the high octane grade gasoline have been
recovered. That’s about 650 gallons more than was reported at the Jan. 27
public meeting held at the fire hall. Also, 500 cubic yards of affected soil
has been removed, said on-site Sun official Russell Jones.
The next public meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at the township
fire hall.
Call Decker at 829-7222.