WVDEP Approves Cleanup Method For Former Gas Station Site in Logan County

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Office of Environmental Remediation (OER) at the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) has approved a cleanup method submitted by George R. McGuire Jr. and Sarah Katherine McGuire Whitmore to address environmental conditions through the Voluntary Remediation Program at the McGuire Property in Logan County. 

The site is located at 7429 Jerry West Highway in Omar and includes approximately 1.46 acres. The McGuire Property is a former retail petroleum facility and automobile service station. A service station and private residence were formerly located at the southern portion of the site. One 1,000-gallon kerosene above-ground storage tank (AST) was formerly located adjacent to the retail petroleum facility. Local residents indicated that in addition to the 1,000-gallon kerosene AST, a gasoline underground storage tank (UST) was also located at the site. Site assessment activities were conducted to evaluate environmental conditions in the areas of the former UST and AST systems, the location of a buried AST and drums, and areas of reported petroleum releases at the site.

The McGuire property is currently vacant. A Land Use Covenant containing specific property use restrictions has been recorded with the property deed for the McGuire property. Property use restrictions included in the Land Use Covenant include the following: 
 
        - Prohibit property uses other than for non-residential purposes; 
        - Restrictions against the use or extraction of groundwater for purposes other than groundwater monitoring or remediation; 
        - Any new buildings constructed on the property must incorporate vapor barriers and sub-slab ventilation systems; 
        - Prohibit future building construction in the area of the former UST system, or to require that any structures built in the area of the former UST system are not enclosed or inhabited structures.

Based on risk assessment, using a groundwater fate and transport model, vapor intrusion model, and dermal and ingestion exposure assessments, the presence of contaminants of concern in subsurface soil and groundwater results in cancer risk estimates that are less than WVDEP-defined levels. A passive sub-slab ventilation system and vapor barrier incorporated into the proposed building design for any new structures should provide adequate protection from any possible vapor movement and eliminate the exposure pathway.

The existing structures at the McGuire property have been demolished. No other reasonable pathways for human health or ecological risk are currently present. Restrictions placed on the property result in the site meeting remedial standards by eliminating all possible routes of exposure. Upon completion of the remediation, a final report will be submitted to OER for review and approval.

West Virginia’s Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Act encourages voluntary cleanups of contaminated sites, as well as redevelopment of abandoned and under-utilized properties, with an objective of counteracting the lack of development on sites with contamination or perceived contamination. The Voluntary Remediation Program identifies and addresses potential contamination at a given site; sets applicable remediation standards; and ensures that the standards are maintained at the site. By providing financial incentives to invest in brownfields, this approach protects communities and the environment while still promoting economic development in West Virginia.