Recently released data from the quarterly sampling of monitoring wells near the Village Food and Fuel (the Shell station) continue to detect decreasing levels of hydrocarbons in the soil at the station and nearby.
The report to the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health said, “This quarter’s detected concentrations of TPH-g and xylenes in well MW-1 were their lowest concentrations since March 2010.”
As a consequence, in a June 6 letter, Sharon Boltinghouse, associate public health professional geologist, wrote in a letter that “remedial efforts have reduced hydrocarbon impacts in the former [underground storage tank] area … recommends that additional soil remediation not be warranted and removal of the existing soil vapor extraction fencing and subsurface lateral piping and abandonment of SVE wells.” This is to be accomplished by Aug. 23.
This spring several monitoring wells were drilled and developed near the Chevron station. According to the report from R.M. Environmental Inc, the initial samples revealed limited hydrocarbon concentration. Methyl-tertiary-butyl ethane was detected in low amounts from two wells but not from other monitoring wells sites.
The report recommended continued monitoring and possibly conducting soil vapor extraction in this area, too.
The identification, monitoring and removal of hydrocarbons near these sites began in the 1990s.