Environmental Health officials are still working with two local fuel providers to ensure there are no more fuel leaks in the East Street South and Solider Road area, The Nassau Guardian was told.  During a bus tour of the road improvement project on Monday, Minister of Works Neko Grant said road workers found two pits of leaked fuel back in August at the busy juncture.

"It was found on the north side of the road... and on the south side of the road," Grant said. "There was diesel in one area and gasoline in the other.  Our workers took steps to ensure that the public was protected.  "We are now satisfied that with the measures we have taken, that water will be safe and all the other infrastructure that has been installed will also be protected."

Grant said the fuel clean-up, coupled with the purchase and installation of special underground piping, contributed to the delay of road construction at the busy thoroughfare.  "That is the reason why we were delayed on that intersection [at] East Street and Solider Road," he told reporters.  Grant could not say how much fuel was leaked underground or how long the leaks went unnoticed.

Yesterday, Anthony Ryan, a public analyst at the Department of Environmental Health Services, whose section was responsible for coordinating the clean-up, said the government is satisfied with the response from the gas providers.  "We reserve the right to make random checks to ensure that due process is followed. We are satisfied right now that we are getting the cooperation that we need," Ryan said.  He added that officials have not documented how much fuel they suspect was leaked underground.

"It's very difficult to do that," Ryan said.  He said underground leaks have been a "long-standing problem in that area".  "This is not something that just recently occurred.  Measures are being put in place right now for the oil companies that are responsible for the clean-up.  We're putting measures in place right now to have that clean-up expedited," said Ryan.
He said while efforts are underway to purify any contaminated water, residents should rely on city water instead of an underground supply or well water.

"Whenever you have leaks you have the [possibility] of it getting into the ground water.  Most of it has to be taken out through a remediation process, and again what we would also advise is that any time there is a spill or any petroleum product in the ground, we always say that residents should not be on the ground water supply, especially if they have access to city water," Ryan said.

Ryan added that the clean-up and treatment process will be a long and complicated one.
When contacted for comment yesterday, Esso spokesman Valentino Hanna said the community's safety was a top priority for the company.  "We have been working closely with the Ministry of Public Works and the Department of Environmental Health Services to address the matter and will continue to do so," Hanna said.  "We are committed to continuing to monitor our operations."

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