Dieselleck from the Irving petrol station could be a long-term concern for the residents

More than two dozen borehole heads have appeared around the Irving Oil petrol station in Woodstock, which recently leaked more than 174,000 liters of diesel over an indefinite period.

These borehole heads are likely to be suitable for test drilling that track the fluid flow underground, including contaminants such as diesel.

CBC News tried Irving Oil Ltd. To contact the purpose of the fountain how long they are on the spot and whether they give a risk for the residents of the nearby residents. There was no answer.

In fact, nobody from Irving Oil has ever answered calls or e -mails about the considerable leak, which was first reported in December. This leak led to the closure of the petrol station, the restaurant and the neighboring Tim Horton of the company.

Since then, vacuum trucks and a cleaning up have worked continuously to regain the spilled diesel fuel, which led to an underground fuel tank tank from a crack in an incorrect filling.

CBC News counted 26 of the newly installed fountain. In addition to many of them, outassed kernels made of basic rock and granite were drilled. You can find the same property as the Irving petrol station and on both sides of the nearby Trans-Canada Highway and the Beardsley Road.

“It is reasonable that surveillance should be available,” said Melissa Bunn, a research scientist and hydrologist at Natural Resources Canada in Ontario. “The nice thing about the groundwater is that it moves so much more slowly than surface water, so there is a little time to know where it is moving.”

According to Bunn, diesel fuel is a non -anthrown liquid or a liquid that does not easily dissolve or mixes with water.

Bunn said that she looked at some of the geology records of the leak and it was likely that diesel was pulled out of the leak by the slick and sand sediments of the soil in this area until he reached the water table and rested on the basic rock. She said it was likely that the leaked diesel on this layer of underground water had come for the time being.

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“This is what is difficult about these liquids that do not quite mix with water that they can hang out in the ground for a long time,” said Bunn.

“For non -aqueous liquids such as petrol, diesel, even more heavier ones that sink to the bottom of the water column, these are usually long -term problems,” she said.

“They do not really rinse from the water system. They hang in these small pockets. So it can be a long -term problem in which a long -term surveillance network is required to understand where it moves, the concentration that lies in groundwater and the risk for the residents.”

Bunn warns that the leaked diesel diesel over time, when these underground water levels rise and fall, dissolve in water over time. In large burial situations, however, test drilling serves as an early detection system for where contamination flows underground, she said.

It is unclear how long diesel from the petrol station can withstand tanks.

The city of Woodstock said that it was not involved in the fountain, but agrees that they are likely to test test drilling to monitor the movement of the diesel underground.

“It has nothing to do with our water,” said John Lyons, the city's service director. “I noticed that last Friday evening [April 25] I noticed that there were some borehole heads there. They look like test fountain for me. “

Residents Fears

The fountains of Verne and Louise Beers are about 500 meters from one of these new fountains and about 700 meters from the leak on the highway.

They said that the contractor Irving had commissioned to carry out a single test on their tap water “months ago”. It came back cleanly, but little is done to calm her fears. Since then, you have paid a second test that was also negatively returned for hydrocarbon pollution.

They fear that one day diesel will appear in their water and their property will suddenly be uninhabitable.

“We just put a new roof in this house. Do we waste our money?” Verne Biere wondered. “As far as the driveway and real estate improvements are concerned, which are not of crucial importance, I don't know if we should spend the money.”

The couple would like to have more details on the test results.

“Probably at least a year, maybe two, before I even feel safe from afar, and it depends on what you are doing there,” said Verne Beers. “If you are still sucking there, I am here to tell you that I am probably a little worried here.”

The residents should remain vigilant

Bunn said the residents should remain vigilant and, given the proximity to the leak, keep an eye on their fountain water. It is useful to know how deep your well is and where it takes along its deep water in water because diesel is lighter than water. She said that when a fountain is quite deep and brings water from a deeper part, it is less likely that diesel that sits on the water table is contaminated by diesel.

Bunn refers to the online well protocol system from New Brunswick, since one can get to know the specifications of their well by the homeowners concerned.

She understands the concerns of the residents and said that if it were at home, she would want to know where this contamination spread.

“Between me and where this spill happened, I would like to know what the results of the surveillance are,” said Bunn.