PRINCETON: Spring Street oil tanks found and removed

By Lauren Otis, Staff Writer
   Recent excavation work at the construction site bordered by Spring and Tulane Streets in downtown Princeton uncovered five underground storage tanks for oil, the borough has confirmed.
   ”Five were discovered and removed within the confines of the development,” said Princeton Borough Engineer Christopher Budzinski. “There was no way we knew they were there until the site excavation was done,” he said.
   The state Department of Environmental Protection was informed of the discoveries, with appropriate paperwork filed, and all of the storage tanks and surrounding soil have been removed and taken to a controlled landfill, in accordance with DEP procedures, Mr. Budzinski said. The borough is now just awaiting confirmation from the DEP that the cases are closed out, he said.
   The topic of newly discovered fuel tanks at the site — where Building C, the mixed-use second phase of the downtown redevelopment project is being constructed by Nassau HKT Partners — was raised at a meeting of the Borough Merchants for Princeton on Tuesday morning at the Nassau Inn.
   Following a “State of the Borough” address by Borough Mayor Mildred Trotman at the Borough Merchants meeting, attorney Peter Paris, a resident of Spring Street, said there was a powerful smell of fuel at the site and he witnessed a fuel tank being pulled out a week ago.
   ”I would hope the borough is on top of it,” Mr. Paris said.
   ”The DEP makes us on top of it,” Mayor Trotman responded.
   ”We also have an environmental engineer that is on site and will remain on site because of the issues we have encountered there,” said Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi at the Borough Merchants meeting.
   In September, all work was stopped at the site because Public Service Electric & Gas Co. discovered an apparent environmental contaminant while digging just off site. The contaminant was identified as some kind of cleaning agent, and despite a low level not necessitating remediation, it was removed from the site, Mr. Bruschi said at the time.
   Mr. Budzinski said four of the tanks which were removed recently were filled with sand, not oil, “some someone knew they were there.” The borough had no knowledge of them, however, he said. “The site has had so many uses over time,” it would be impossible to trace their origin, he said, with such discoveries “typical” when excavation work is done in older downtowns.
   The fifth tank “was an ad hoc, manmade, it was more of an underground pit, but we treated it like a tank,” and removed it and the surrounding soil like the other four tanks, Mr. Budzinski said.
   Mr. Budzinski said the site was likely not to reveal any more surprises. “All the excavation is done that would reveal any more tanks, if you will,” he said.
   ”There are no more deep excavations to be made, we are basically pouring footings” on the site, Mr. Budzinski said. After a little delay, the construction “is moving ahead,” he said.