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Superior Cleaners ~ Environmental Update
 
 
December 13, 2009
Many of you have noticed, and commented on, the recent demolition of the Superior Dry Cleaners building located on the northwest corner of Oakland and Parkview, near Bacchus and D&W.  According to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality – Remediation and Redevelopment Division (MDEQ-RRD) Kalamazoo District Office, the property was purchased by the City of Kalamazoo.  According to a Baseline Environmental Assessment filed with the MDEQ-RRD, and several long-time neighborhood residents, Superior Dry Cleaners was formerly a gasoline service station.

 

On November 14, 15, and 16, 2009 a concerned citizen, who wishes to remain anonymous, observed that a two-inch diameter steel pipe, approximately 15 feet long had been exposed near the north edge of the demolition area with the long axis of the pipe was oriented east-west.  In his experience, this configuration was typical of pipes associated with the metal underground storage tanks that contain fuel at gasoline stations.  On November 16, 2009 the concerned citizen advised the on-site representative of DLZ, the environmental consulting company, the on-site representative of J. L. Cook Construction, the equipment operator, and later the City Engineer, Mr. Frank Szopo, of his concerns and observations.  On November 18, 2009 the concerned citizen observed a vertical metal pipe protruding from the ground near the northeast corner of the fenced demolition area.  At this point, the citizen called Mr. Mark Worrall, the Kalamazoo County MDEQ-RRD Project Manager for leaking underground storage tanks, regarding his concerns.  Mr. Worrall then conducted an on-site inspection, and concluded that there was an underground storage tank (UST) still buried on the property.

 

According to Mr. Worrall, on November 19, 2009 the contents of the tank were sampled by DLZ, and on December 8, 2009 one (1) metal underground storage tank (UST) was removed from the ground by the City contractors DLZ and Cook.  Both Mr. Worrall and the MDEQ Waste and Hazardous Materials Division (WHMD) District Supervisor, Mr. Fred Sellers, were on-site at the time the UST was removed.  According to Mr. Worrall, the tank held approximately 20 inches of liquid, a hole was observed in the side of the tank approximately 20 inches from the bottom of the tank, and there was a chemical odor associated with the tank and the tank liquids.  These liquids were pumped into several 55-gallon drums.  On December 9, 2009 these drums were observed still standing on-site, in the open, with no protective fencing.

 

Officers of the Oakland Drive – Winchell Neighborhood Association (ODWNA), on behalf of the Neighborhood Association, extend their profound thanks to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Kalamazoo District Office.  We commend Mr. Worrall and Mr. Sellers for their prompt attention to this matter. Further, we commend their immediate supervisors for their support, and we hope for their continued support in the future.

 

However, in the opinion of the Neighborhood Association officers, many questions remain:

 

  • According to the MDEQ representatives, when a buried underground storage tank is “discovered” it is the responsibility of the property owner (i.e., the City) to immediately investigate and report the existence of the tank to the MDEQ.  Why did the tank discovery have to be reported, apparently after the fact, to the MDEQ by the concerned citizen?
  • If the Baseline Environmental Assessment contained a geophysical survey, then why did this survey, a survey designed to detect buried tanks, miss identify the tank in question?
  • If the MDEQ-RRD reviews the Baseline Environmental Assessment and finds it is inadequate, will liability for cleanup fall to the City and therefore to us, the tax payers? Note:  according to MDEQ-RRD information, the purpose of a properly prepared Baseline Environmental Assessment is to allow a new purchaser, like the City, to avoid the liability for environmental cleanup.
  • What plans exist to appropriately and adequately test the soil and groundwater on this site to assure the public that environmental issues from the former Superior Dry Cleaner Site do not adversely impact Woods Lake?

 

There are clearly more questions that need to be asked.  As more information comes to light, and the sequence of events and their implications can be more fully evaluated, this information will be posted here.