Fire Chief: Significant Amount of Petroleum Found in Soil Near Citgo

North Shore Fire Department Chief Whitaker said a significant presence of petroleum was found Friday morning after crews drilled 8- to 10-feet deep in front of Shorewood's Citgo gas station and collected soil samples.

"Crews were looking for anything not natural to the soil...the field test results have come back with a petroleum-based product that is in the ground," Whitaker said.

The next step: State Department of Natural Resources officials will start an investigation into who's responsible for the spill. State officials will set up a venting mechanism to prevent gasoline from seeping into sewers. After a party is designated as responsible, cleanup efforts will follow, Whitaker said.

Fire officials and contractors entered a third day of work Friday, after firefighters and responded to a report of a gas leak in an apartment basement near East Capitol Drive and North Wilson Drive early Wednesday morning. The report forced an evacuation of two apartment buildings for several hours.

Though crews haven't collected soil samples elsewhere in Shorewood, Whitaker said it's very unlikely the petroleum found in front of Citgo, 1602 E. Capitol Dr., came from any other source other than the gas station.

That station has been closed since Wednesday night, when sanitary sewer samples prompted officials shut down its pumping operations.

"At this point, the state has red-taped their pumps, which means they can't sell petroleum or fuel, and the state has told us that will go on at least through Monday," Whitaker said.

The owner of the station, Syed Rizvi of Glendale, hired Benchmark Environmental Services in 2008 to examine the property and inspection results showed a 1991 fuel leak had contaminated soil near East Capitol Drive and North Newhall Street, Today's TMJ4 reports.

The owner of Benchmark, an Illinois-based environmental engineering firm, told the news station that Rizvi ignored the results of the inspection, and left unaddressed, the contamination likely made its way into Shorewood's sewer system via groundwater and into resident's basements.

Whitaker said the owner of the gas station hired a private contractor to perform some tests.

"It's my understanding...they did some sort of pressure test on their pumps to make sure their lines underground were intact and not leaking," he said.

Meanwhile, crews plan to continue sanitary sewer system ventilation and flushing efforts through the weekend.

"One of the contractors working with us, has set up ventilation fans which is drawing air out of the sanitary sewer system in an attempt to keep the vapors down because we still get gasoline vapor readings," Whitaker said.

In addition, crews are also taking air samples in the sewer system to monitor any vapor changes.

The leak drew state officials to Shorewood who spent most of Thursday reviewing available data and area gas station records that document the quantities of gasoline delivered.

Shorewood officials say they have reduced the amount of gasoline in sewers, but some particles still remain.

"We are still getting gasoline vapor readings in the sanitary sewer," Whitaker said.

Whitaker says he's confident the gasoline stench still poses no health danger, but if residents discover the odor in their home they should flush their water traps with water. If that doesn't work, residents are asked to call 911 and leave their homes.

"We are asking to go into the various businesses or homes...to make sure we continue to be successful in ventilating the sanitary sewer system," Whitaker said.