JACKSON KEROSENE CLEANUP COMPLETE

JACKSON -- Children now play on the same land once soaked in kerosene and crawling with environmental cleanup crews, a Co-op Service Center manager said.

Jim Hope said Co-op hired the crews in January after neighbors discovered a 13,000-gallon, above-ground kerosene tank on East Main Street had developed a leak and was soaking surrounding soil in the fuel. The neighbors also noticed an oily sheen on top of nearby Goose Creek.

VICAR Petroleum Inc. employees from Cape Girardeau initially worked around the clock to stop the leak, then had to remove tons of soil from about a 40-by-60-foot area. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources was involved, and officials with the department said the kerosene had soaked down to 13-foot-deep bedrock in some areas.

"Our main concern was the environment," said Wendell Hall, DNR environmental specialist. "There was no immediate danger with drinking water. Ultimately it could have affected drinking water, but there were no wells involved."

As the cleanup continued, VICAR took soil samples and sent them to independent labs to be sure all the contamination was gone. When they came back clean, crews stopped digging in the area tested. If they came back with contamination, work continued. The last soil samples were sent off in June.

After all the kerosene was removed, workers filled the spot with clean soil. All the tanks were disassembled, and now grass grows on the lot.

"It's all gone," Hope said. "It looks like a playground, and kids play ball out there."

Now, $150,000 after the leak was discovered, Co-op is waiting for an official OK from the DNR. Hall said it was delayed because he needed some additional information apart from the findings VICAR sent.

Now he has it and plans to finish the paperwork and give Co-op a clean bill of health.

Co-op now stores fuel in new tanks in a different location. Hope said steps were taken to prevent any future leaks.