CPA probe on jet fuel leak nears completion

Reflecting its strong commitment to environmental protection, the Commonwealth Ports Authority is drawing near to the completion of its investigation on the jet fuel leak at the Saipan International Airport.

CPA said Allied Pacific Environmental Consulting, which it contracted to conduct investigation and remediation works, is about 75 percent finished with the investigative phase of the project.

APEC has started the remediation phase, which consists of construction of Soil Vapor Extraction system to remove jet fuel vapors, according to the ports authority.

APEC environmental specialist Bryan Matz collected the ninth round of weekly samples from the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation production wells. Analytical results from these samples confirm there is no jet fuel in the CUC wells.

A weekly meeting has been initiated between officials of the ports authority, the Division of Environmental Quality, the US Geological Survey, the Environmental Protection Agency and APEC to ensure that investigation and remediation works are proceeding smoothly and as scheduled.

CPA has reiterated that it is ready to embark on a massive cleanup operations as it explores ways to provide immediate solution to a contamination case caused by jet fuel leak at the Saipan International Airport.

Ports authority officials underscored the need to completely and promptly address environmental protection issues surrounding the fuel leakage at the Saipan airport to prevent spread of suspected vapor contamination.

Comprehensive leak investigation is being conducted by APEC and Tetra Tech EM to determine the extent of the problem. Once APEC identifies the areas of contamination, CPA, Mobil Oil Marianas and a solid and hazardous waste management team will start crafting a solution.

APEC has submitted results of soil boring logs, water well sampling reports, location maps, laboratory reports, investigation plans and field survey results.

DEQ officials earlier asked CPA to conduct full-scale investigation to locate approximately 6,000 gallons of jet fuel that appeared to have leaked from a jet fuel storage vault at SIA.

Soil samples earlier taken from areas near the airport disclosed fuel vapor contamination which warrants immediate implementation of extensive cleanup operations.

CPA officials disclosed that at least 14 water wells near the airport area were earlier inspected and three of these supply wells are continuously being monitored in a regular basis by APEC and the Tetra Tech.