EAST BRUNSWICK — The East Brunswick school district has been ordered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to test two decommissioned 10,000-gallon underground storage tanks to ensure they have been closed correctly.
“There potentially could be some unforeseen conditions. Until they investigate and inspect the tanks, we don’t know if they were buried in place or if they were remediated properly, or if there is any underground leakage resulting from erosion or improper burial,” said Superintendent Victor Valeski.
The two tanks, which were closed in the late 1990s, were used for storage of heating fuel oil.
It is not known if the tanks had been cleaned or filled with inert material after being taken out of service.
“The DEP may have lost paperwork — there are a whole variety of reasons for this — but the bottom line is, on the DEP’s end they show that this file was not closed and that’s what raised the issue,” said Bernardo Giuliana, district business administrator, at the Aug. 6 board of education meeting.
The board voted to approve a contract with Environmental Design Inc. for up to $200,000 for the testing of the two storage tanks as well as to oversee the closing of two dry wells at East Brunswick High School.
Environmental Design, according to Giuliana, is the environmental consultant for the district.
“As long as we are taking proactive measures to address the issue, I think we protect the district,” said Valeski.
When the tanks are tested, if it is determined that they were closed in accordance with DEP regulations, the tanks will be removed. If the results come back that they were not decommissioned correctly, then there will be a need for more testing, and action will need to be taken.
“The first piece of this is to open up the area and take samples, examine the tank, and take soil samples to determine if there is any kind of contamination,” said Giuliana.
“If there isn’t, then I think the DEP will say we can close it up. An indication of anything other than that and we’re talking about the next steps which could involve soil removal — there is no way to know what that would be.”
Closing the two dry wells will involve filling the wells with stones and concrete in accordance with state protocol. Environmental Design will also provide the service.
Since the contract is for professional services, the district does not need to go out to bid in order to award the contract.
According to Giuliana, the testing will take place in the coming weeks, and there is no timeline for completion of the project.
The process for testing the decommissioned storage tanks, as well as the closing of the dry wells, will begin in the coming weeks.
The members of the board of education approved the motion unanimously.