Environmental contractors have begun efforts to remediate a recent accidental underground fuel release at Circle K in Chino Valley.
The contractors retained by Circle K have installed a thermal oxidizer system to remediate petroleum- impacted soil in the area affected by the release. The thermal oxidizer is connected to perforated vapor extraction wells installed at various depths within the area of the release and creates a vacuum to extract gasoline from beneath the surface. The vacuum changes gasoline from an absorbed or liquid phase into vapor, which is then directed into the thermal oxidizer to be destroyed. The thermal oxidizer operates under an approved Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) General Air Permit.
As on-site remediation efforts progress, weekly water well testing commissioned by Circle K and conducted by a third-party chemical testing laboratory continues to detect no contamination from samples drawn from seven drinking water wells surrounding the store on immediately adjacent properties. With no evidence of impacts to these nearby wells from this fuel release after nearly a month of testing, the company has no plans to test additional sites at this time.
“We know our neighbors in Chino Valley expect their drinking water to be free from contamination. We take their concerns very seriously, and we are working aggressively to ensure their drinking water remains unaffected by this fuel release, in close coordination with ADEQ,” said Morten Jensen, Vice President of Operations for Circle K, Grand Canyon Business Unit. “As water in the wells being tested near the store is still not impacted after more than 12 weeks since the accident, we are confident that the same holds true for wells farther away. Regardless, our work will continue, and we will notify the community if any findings from our tests warrant changes to our testing protocol and mitigation efforts.”
Meanwhile, the company is also reinforcing its processes, procedures, and training to ensure store managers and assistants fully understand how to respond to fuel system alarms and recognize and report fuel shortages and variations that appear in daily inventory reports, among other best practices.
Circle K will continue to share further updates as work progresses. In the meantime, residents may contact Circle K Customer Care at (833) 685-7318 with any questions.
