December 13, 2004

Today the Department of Environmental Quality red-tagged eight underground storage tanks located at the Blarney Castle Oil Company EZ Mart gas station and bulk plant near Mesick for failing to properly address soil and groundwater contamination caused by leaking tanks. In addition to the red tagging, BCO was also fined $208,200.

The red tag placards will remain in place, prohibiting delivery of gasoline into those fuel tanks, until the company pays the fine and commits to performing the necessary cleanup activities, as approved by the DEQ and in accordance with the state’s Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) law.

The company has failed to submit a complete Final Assessment Report (FAR) that defines: 1) the extent of the soil and groundwater contamination to determine which properties and water bodies are threatened; and 2) what cleanup method is sufficient to address the contamination and protect public health.

“The DEQ has repeatedly warned BCO that their tanks would be red-tagged if a complete FAR was not submitted and implemented,” said Andrew Hogarth, Chief of the DEQ’s Remediation and Redevelopment Division.

Contamination from LUST sites remains a substantial problem state-wide in Michigan. Since 1988, more than 20,000 confirmed petroleum product releases into the environment have been reported in Michigan with approximately 44% or 9,000 of them still in need of remediation. Releases of gasoline into the soils and groundwater can create fire or explosion hazards, impact drinking water and public health, and cause environmental damage to plants and wildlife.

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

Revised December 13, 2004 by Pat Watson