Photo: Lisa Sorg/NC Policy Watch

Feb. 25. The NC Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has found several deficiencies in the Comprehensive Site Assessment (CSA), submitted by Colonial Pipeline on Jan. 20. DEQ issued a Notice of Continuing Violation detailing the necessary actions to continue the clean-up in earnest.

“After a recent tour of the pipeline leak site with representatives from Colonial, NC DEQ, the Governor’s office and Meck County, I feel confident NC DEQ oversight has been comprehensive ensuring Colonial will be held accountable,” said Huntersville Mayor John Aneralla.

According to NC Policy Watch, the Colonial spill is the biggest gasoline spill in the United States in the past 20 years.

ANERALLA

DEQ officials said the Comprehensive Site Assessment lacked critical information necessary to determine the full extent of the impacts of the spill which is now estimated at 1.2 million gallons.

DEQ also has directed Colonial Pipeline to extend residential private well sampling 500 feet beyond the edge of the current sampling radius, Aneralla said.

To date, Colonial has reported no gasoline products in drinking water well samples within the sampling radius.

As of Feb. 23, 740,368 gallons of free product and 592,037 gallons of petroleum contact water have been recovered and transported off-site for disposal.