STOCKTON: Vapor intrusion tests are on tap

Locations to be tested include a deli, a Bridge Street liquor store and Borough Hall on Main Street, as well as private residence and several apartments

By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
   STOCKTON — About 20 borough residents attended a recent Borough Council meeting to learn about the remediation of a gas leak at a local gas station.
   A final step of the remediation is the testing of properties that sit within 100 feet of where the leak occurred.
   ”It was actually very positive,” Borough Clerk Michele Hovan said. “It was informative and well attended.”
   A small leak, estimated at about 15 gallons, occurred three years ago at Ryan’s Texaco on Bridge Street.
   At the time of the leak, station owner Ryan Kerr reported it to the state Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP performed the required remediation and took steps to clean up the gasoline tank field.
   Now the final step of testing nearby properties is about to begin.
   ”Vapor intrusion testing” requires the collection of air samples from properties within a 100-foot radius, Ms. Hovan said.
   Locations to be tested include an adjacent deli, a Bridge Street liquor store and Borough Hall on Main Street as well as a private residence and several apartments, Ms. Hovan said.
   Property owners will be asked to sign an access agreement, granting testers access to their properties.
   ”They may or may not find anything,” Ms. Hovan said. “The expectation is they probably won’t” find anything amiss.
   She explained the air sample testing is similar to the testing performed to detect radon in homes.
   At the meeting, residents heard a presentation about the remediation from environmental professionals, including representatives of the DEP and also from Steven K. Jones of Pioneer Environmental Group of Mercerville.
   The DEP representatives attended “to help alleviate the concerns people have,” Ms. Hovan said.
   In general, vapor intrusion testing is performed to discover if volatile organic compounds or petroleum products have traveled underground through soil and water. Vapors can be released as they travel and rise into a building’s interior.