Oct. 23--WILLIAMSPORT -- The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Mallard Contracting Inc. of Mount Carmel, have reached an agreement on the final cleanup requirements for a 63,000 gallon gasoline spill that occurred in May 2007 in Coal Township.

"This legal agreement requires Mallard Contracting to complete by Jan. 31, 2011 the proper clean up of a very large gasoline spill that had a significant environmental impact and threatened the indoor air quality of neighboring homes," said DEP Northcentral Regional Director Robert Yowell.

The spill occurred when a Mallard-owned bulldozer punctured a Sunoco gasoline transmission pipeline. A crew from Mallard was doing road maintenance along a coal access road on the south side of Big Mountain at the time.

Sunoco hired emergency response contractors to initiate and maintain remedial activities at the site that included installing indoor ventilation systems at several residences on Balsam and Jackson streets, where owners reported gasoline vapors. Daily indoor air monitoring also was done at these homes.

A few days after the spill, about 4,290 tons of gasoline contaminated soil was excavated, stockpiled and covered near what was designated as area of concern No. 4, which was located immediately west of the point of release. This area received most of the gasoline from the spill.

In January, Mallard's contractor submitted an Act 2 notice of intent to remediate contaminated soil to meet DEP's statewide health standards for non-residential use. The notice also stated that the top 10 feet of most severely contaminated soil in each area of concern would be excavated and removed from the site and that less contaminated soil would be treated in place or on-site.

The new agreement requires Mallard to submit cleanup reports to DEP by March 31, 2010 that will include the technical information necessary to demonstrate attainment of the non-residential use statewide health standard.

Mallard also agreed to pay a $45,000 civil penalty for pollution caused by the spill as part of the agreement. The company has already paid $15,000 and the remaining $30,000 will be paid in $5,000 monthly installments for the next six months. The money will be placed in DEP's Clean Water Fund.

Coal Township Commissioner Albert Santor said that he is happy to see the 14-month timetable.

"I'm happy to see that the work is progressing and that they are taking their time, so that the problem can be fixed and that we won't have any later problems," Santor said. "They really have to watch so that the gasoline doesn't resurface somewhere else. We don't want to see that gasoline go down the shafts in that area."

Many of the residents affected by the spill said the gasoline fumes quickly dissipated.

"Other than the first and second day of the spill, the only problem I had was the fumes when they opened up the gas line across the street to pump out the excess gas when they had to pump out the line," said Robert Laczkowski of Stetler Drive. "They have been good and checking through the area every once in a while, but no complaints and no smell."

Laczkowski called the Mallard's fine "minimal," but thinks it could do some good in the area.

"We have a number of areas that have some acid mine drainage in them, so I hope that it could be used in that way to help our community," he said.

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