By Charles M. Kelly
Orange County and Atlantic Richfield Company officials say they will soon meet with Bridgeport residents in Seal Beach to discuss decontamination of soil near the gas station at 5th Street and Pacific Coast Highway.
The meeting will be a follow-up to a similar meting held Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Seal Beach Senior Center to discuss the soil contamination issue.
According to a press release issued by the city of Seal Beach, approximately 75 Bridgeport residents attended the meeting and expressed concerns about their health and ARCO’s reaction to the contamination.
In 1986, the ARCO station’s underground tanks apparently leaked.
The tanks were removed. In January of this year, the Orange County Health Care Agency learned that gas vapors had surfaced in the soil.
The county has directed ARCO to set up a permanent system to remove the soil contamination.
“We first learned about elevated levels of hydrocarbon vapors from the gasoline release earlier this year,” according to an ARCO statement called the “Bridgeport Remediation Program.”
“While elevated levels of hydrocarbon vapors from the service station are present in soils, monitoring to date indicates that there is not an imminent threat to human health,” the document said.
The ARCO statement confirmed that several homes have contaminated soil or groundwater nearby. ARCO has promised to keep Bridgeport residents informed.
The company document said drinking water has not been impacted by the ARCO station.
The company also said the station will stay open for business. “This station is fully permitted and in compliance with all the appropriate regulatory agency requirements,” according to the ARCO document.
The current decontamination efforts at the gas station are not the first. “There have been ongoing cleanup activities at the site since the late 1980s. However, it was not until this year that the higher levels of vapors were detected coming from the underground contamination,” the document said.
The decontamination effort will continue until the Orange County Health Care Agency is satisfied and determines no further action is needed
ARCO officials do not know if Bridgeport property values will be affected by the decontamination effort.
In another ARCO document, called the “Property Value Program,” the petroleum company is promising to protect homeowners from financial harm caused by the environmental impact of the 1986 gas tank leaks at the station.
“The program applies to properties on Galleon Way and Corsair Way between Schooner Way and Electric Avenue,” according to the Property Value Program document.
Under this program, ARCO is promising to reimburse homeowners the difference between the sale price of their home and the fair market value of their home.
A property owner would have 30 days after the sale to enter the Property Value Program.
A licensed real estate appraiser would determine the fair market value of the property. The program will end when the decontamination project ends.
For information about the Property Value Program, call Doug Reinhart at (630) 821-3303.
For information about the Bridgeport project, visit the Web site bridgeportupdate.com.
