West Shore Pipe Line installs mobile plant following gasoline spill
JACKSON -- West Shore Pipe Line Company has set up a mobile plant in Jackson, Wisconsin to pump contaminated water out of the ground. This, after a July 17th gasoline pipeline leak that spilled approximately 55,000 gallons of gasoline from a pipeline that carries gasoline from Chicago to Green Bay.
West Shore Pipe Line Company repaired the gas line, and then tested private wells -- where officials found water samples containing levels of benzene higher than federal standards.
The Department of Natural Resources then issued a "Flush-Only Advisory" for some residents in the spill area. The company put those residents up in hotel rooms and issued bottled water.
Then, the company found groundwater runoff from unsafe drinking water areas flowing away from the leak area, outside the designated restriction areas as established by the DNR. The company then installed and tested an "interim groundwater remediation system."
Now, a mobile groundwater cleanup plant has been set up in a backyard adjacent to the spill site. Three blue barrels represent the three-part system -- one that cleanses and breaks apart the mixture of water and gasoline into liquid and gas states. It is then filtered and dispensed into a drainage ditch -- a tributary of Cedar Creek.
Jackson resident John Fenton hired plumbers to install temporary water pipes that connect to a 3,400-gallon water barrel outside his home.
"They'll put in a brand new pump and a pressure tank and all of this stuff to make sure everything is clean and then we'll have water throughout the house," Fenton said.
Fenton still can't drink the water since his house falls within the "Flush Only Advisory Zone" established by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Fenton says he's remained patient throughout West Shore Pipe Line's cleanup process, but says "it just gets old."
"Normal is no longer normal -- that's the biggest thing, and you wonder when it's going to be done," Fenton said.
West Shore Pipe Line Company installed 45 water remediation wells, with three more on the way.
A company spokesman told FOX6 News the mobile groundwater cleanup system is considered an interim plan to clean up the contaminated water. A long-term plan is still in the works.
West Shore Pipe Line Company opened a claims center for residents affected by the pipeline leak in Jackson. It’s an opportunity for homeowners affected by the leak to get face-to-face help.
Claims can be made at the center — which has been set up at the Comfort Inn at W227 N16890 Tillie Lake Court in Jackson. The center will be open daily from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Affected residents can also call the claims hotline at 866-837-5016. Operators will also be available from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. daily.
Anyone who filed will be contacted by an adjuster, who will go through each claim.
The claims center and hotline will help residents with:
Residents within the Wisconsin DNR’s Drinking Water Advisory area may also obtain bottled water directly from the claims center.
Related stories: