Oil leak much larger than thought

WEBUTUCK — The oil spills contaminating soil around Webutuck High School are not only much larger than originally estimated, but also the direct result of two fuel lines that broke on separate occasions in January.

The oil leaks have been blamed on the copper fuel lines to both boilers in the high school. Board of Education President Dale Culver said during a special business meeting on March 25 that he believed the vibration of the boilers caused the copper lines to snap. Since the two incidents, flexible tubing has been installed.

“Initially we had a high level of confidence that all the fuel oil had been captured prior to polluting the ground,� district Superintendent Richard Johns reported in a Key Communicator e-mail sent out March 24.

However, several weeks ago contaminated soil was found. Culver had previously said the contamination was a result of removing the prior fuel tank in 1989.

At the March 25 board meeting, there was no mention of a previous spill, and Johns said that the oil was a result of the two recent leaks. It is estimated that between 500 and 600 gallons of fuel oil was released into the ground.

“I can’t say it’s been ruled out,� Culver said after the meeting in regards to spillage that could have occurred when the old tank was removed. “We haven’t been definitively told either way, but the volume [of the spill] is most likely related to the [recent] leak.�

“The fuel oil quickly found its way to underground tiling, which, with the first rains, sent the oil to watershed areas,� Johns said in his Key Communicator newsletter.

The boiler room is located near the cafeteria at the rear of the high school building. The spilled oil then moved east, migrating through drains that lead out to catch basins. Some oil has surfaced on the softball field; the field will not be usable by the team until further notice. Athletic Director Mike Riddle said the town of Amenia will let the team practice on its fields in the meantime.

“If the remediation people determine that it’s safe, then we’ll resume use of the fields,� Culver said.

Resident Dave Shufelt asked if the district had looked into how much fuel it had lost in the oil spill by comparing the amount of the last delivery to the amount in the tank.

“Did you actually check how much fuel was lost?� he asked.

“Not until later,� Johns acknowledged.

Culver added that the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) was notified of the second spill, which occurred over a weekend, and was on site for a considerable amount of time that night.

Resident Jeanne Rebillard said there should have been a letter sent home to every parent notifying them of the spill, rather than just a Key Communicator e-mail, which is sent only to those who have signed up for it.

“With something of this measure, a note needs to go home,� she said.

Culver agreed, and said he would look into it.

Vaz-Co Reclaiming Services Inc., a private vendor that specializes in abating fuel oil spills, has been hired by the district to clean up everything. Johns said that the district would not have a final determination of the cost of cleanup because it is difficult to tell how much remediation of soil will be needed.

“For the most part, the soil abaters will continue to eliminate layers of soil so long as there are hydrocarbons in it,� he stated, adding that if the company’s current estimates prove to be correct, all the contaminated dirt should be removed by this week.

The Board of Education passed a resolution during its March 2 meeting to declare the project an emergency measure. Johns reported that the declaration has been filed with the state Education Department, and there are special state funds available to respond to an incident like this. The district is also covered by insurance.

District Maintenance Director Mark Lounsbury will attend the board meeting on April 13 to provide more details.

Budget public hearing

The only other public business at the board meeting on March 25 was to announce the date of the public hearing for the 2009-10 school year budget. It will be held Tuesday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m. The public will vote on the budget on May 19.