Dwindling state funds stall gas station cleanup

BARSTOW • It’s been about 20 years since it stopped doing business, but a local fuel station continues to pose a health hazard due to its leaking fuel tanks. But money from a state fund to pay for the cleanup has dwindled.

Transmission World, which once operated at 1101 East Main Street, is one of a handful of gas stations in the Barstow area that are under various cleanup stages due to leaking fuel tanks. The property was issued an order to clean up gasoline from leaking fuel tanks from the Regional Water Quality Control Board, but after the owner died the estate couldn’t afford to pay for the cleanup.

The order was issued in 1991, according to Richard Booth, a senior underground geologist with the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board, which makes sure gas stations comply with environmental regulations. There were two different types of cleanups attempted at the facility, Booth said. One dealt with contaminated soil.
The site cleanup had been paid for by the Underground Storage Tank cleanup fund. But reimbursement from those funds have been delayed due to the economy, according to Booth. The money in the fund comes from a 1.2 cent charge per gallon of gasoline or diesel purchased by gas station owners.

Because of the delay in funds, it is unlikely that any more action will be taken to clean up 1101 East Main Street for about two years, according to Jennifer Riley, a management assistant with the City of Barstow who spoke about the issue at a meeting of the Barstow Planning Commission, Monday.

Riley and City Planner Mike Massimini gave the commission an update on what is being done about vacant gas stations. There are currently 16 within city limits that aren’t in business anymore, Riley said. Many of them have either cleaned up their sites or have replaced them entirely.

Another former gas station, at 1501 Irwin Road, has been vacant since before 1996. It is considered anbandoned now because there is no fuel in the tanks, said Doug Snyder, deputy fire marshal for the hazardous materials division of the county fire department.

The facility isn’t fenced, the vacant building is unsecure ,and its septic tank has collapsed, according to Riley. The owner of 1501 Irwin Road has been fined and has boarded up the vacant structure on the lot. The city is currently working on a nuisance ordinance that would apply to abandoned or vacant buildings and lots.

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(760) 256-4123 or jcejnar@desertdispatch.com