Diesel fuel leak contaminates soil in Mercer County

Tammy Schwab of Jackson Center Pennsylvania voiced her concerns about diesel fuel leaking into her yard, over the last few years.

"It's still contaminated," said Schwab. "All their clean-up has not fixed it, at one point i found a stone, like a rock pit that had fuel coming up out of it," she said.

It stems from leaky fuel tanks connected to a former Sunoco gas station at the end of her driveway. Schwab claims it killed her vegetation.

"I had dead areas all across my yard where they'll just be spots where it would just die off," Schwab said.

She also worries for the safety of her animals, the goats, sheep, pigs, horses and cow that eat the grass.

Schwab tells 21 News she's not just concerned with the damage to her property or the health and well being of her animals, but also her well water. Schwab won't even drink it.

"I don't cook with our water, I buy," Schwab said.

The Department of Environmental Protection has several complaints of soil with diesel fuel or unleaded gasoline here dating back to 2015. The 2015 case is closed but cases in 2021 remain open. Multiple releases have occurred at Schwab's home that are being remediated together.

DEP sent a statement in response that reads:

"Heath Oil, the current owner of the site, contracted with Cribbs & Associates, Inc. following the finding of the release in the summer of 2021 to initiate site characterization. Cribbs & Associates have analyzed soil, groundwater, and private water supply samples for the unleaded gasoline constituents. The on-site potable supply well and all private water supply wells within a 1,000-foot radius were sampled multiple times. There are no detectable concentrations of petroleum in any of the nine private water supplies.

Approximately 2000 tons of contaminated soil was removed. The monitoring well network includes 18 monitoring wells in various depths to determine impacts to water bearing zones.

The DEP is expecting an additional site characterization report and remedial action plan for the remaining portions of the clean-up in February 2024. DEP continues to monitor the progress of the cleanup."