HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter #02 from Hamilton Co EMA 6-18-13I am writing to express my concern regarding the proposed Ricker's Convenience Store and gas station
within the legacy Development at the southwest corner of 146th Street and River Road
This proposed gas station, and the underground fuel storage tanks associated with it, fall within the 1
year time of travel for the City of Carmel wellheads, the 1 year time of travel of an Indianapolis
Department of Water Works wellhead, and is within 3 different 3,000 foot buffer zones for 3 public
water supply wells for Graylan Place and Hamilton Estates trailer parks. This site sits upon very porous
soil with sand and gravel beneath the soil and has a very high seasonable ground water elevation.
On August 23, 2008 an equipment failure on an underground fuel storage tank at the Marathon gas station
at 808 W. Main Street in Carmel caused approximately 8,000 gallons of gasoline to leak in the city's
downtown area. Cleanup costs for this release were approximately $1.6 million dollars. A release of that
magnitude inside a wellhead protection area would have the potential to contaminate a water supply that
serves not only residents of Carmel, but also residents of Westfield and Noblesville.
We are aware of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management changes to allow
underground storage tanks with certain standards in wellhead protection areas, but please also take
into consideration of the potential for above ground leaks occurring from an unattended hose with
someone filling their vehicle or, even worse, a spill caused by a tanker truck filling the underground
storage tanks.
There are 4 phases in Emergency Management: Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. The
definition of Mitigation is taking specific actions that will reduce the possibility of a disaster occurring. By
not having a gas station in a wellhead protection area you are mitigating against the potential of
contaminating a valuable resource in Hamilton County.
Because of these concerns, I recommend against the approval of this project.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at 317 -770 -3381 if you have any further questions.
Best,
Thomas Sivak
Executive Director
Hamilton County Emergency Management Agency