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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Oct. 8, 1998
98-174
Contact: Ron Langley, Public Information, (425) 649-7009
In November 1993, a Burger King restaurant at 5500 Market St. in Ballard was filled with dangerous fumes when gasoline seeped into an underground sump that drains water from the building's foundation. The Seattle Fire Department temporarily closed the restaurant to protect workers and customers.
A Texaco service station uphill from the restaurant appeared to be the most likely source of the problem. Investigation and initial cleanup work, however, revealed no direct link between the service station and the fumes in the restaurant. In fact, a clear connection to a responsible party was never found.
Texaco followed through with a full cleanup despite the lack of proof that it was responsible. The company installed a state-of-the-art soil-vapor/ground water extraction system that, after five years of operation, has substantially cleaned up the soil and ground water in the area. The cleanup has cost Texaco about $350,000. Most leaking underground storage tank cleanups cost less than $100,000.
"This is a fine example of good corporate citizenship," said Mike Rundlett, director of Ecology's Bellevue regional office. "The Texaco folks didn't have to step forward and do this cleanup, but they did the right thing anyway. If Texaco had not taken on the task, cleanup would have been delayed while the state went through an expensive search for a responsible party."
Editors Note: News media reporters who want to cover the event should call Norman Stanley at Texaco, (818) 505-2654.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
