SEAL BEACH : Consultant to Study Petroleum Buildup

The City Council has authorized officials to hire a consultant to determine what is causing the buildup of a petroleum substance under the City Yard.

The city will pay ECE Services $13,802 to investigate the contamination, which was discovered recently during routine monitoring of soil and ground water.

City officials emphasized that the situation does not pose a health risk and that water is not drawn from the area.

However, officials said it is important to determine if the petroleum buildup is the result of a leak from the gasoline pumps on the premises or whether it is a pocket of gasoline missed during the cleanup of a leak several years ago.

The substance may have entered the City Yard from an adjacent property, City Manager Jerry L. Bankston said. The city stores and maintains vehicles at the yard.

ECE Services will conduct soil and water tests aimed at pinpointing the source of the substance and determining how serious the contamination is. Eventually, officials will plan for a cleanup.

A few years ago, a leak in an underground storage tank in the City Yard cause gasoline to enter the soil. The gasoline was eventually removed. As a result, the yard’s soil is regularly monitored, which is how officials discovered the current contamination.