August 7, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 3 Midland Park NJDEP handling gasoline leak at Godwin/Erie station New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) work crews were in Midland Park last week to stop gasoline leaks from the Delta gasoline station at the corner of Erie and Godwin avenues and to repair breaks in the storm sewer system discovered because of the gasoline fumes. The station was closed on June 28. The site suffered a similar problem in March, 2011 and was ultimately reopened once it was given a clean bill of health. Borough construction official Mark Berninger said he found the presence of gasoline in the storm drain system in June when he investigated a complaint of gasoline smell from a South Rea Avenue resident. He called the Bergen County HazMat unit, which confirmed the high content of gasoline in the gas station’s monitoring wells and called in the NJDEP. Peter Cagno, who is managing the site for the NJDEP, said that emergency crews found gasoline in the gas station monitoring wells, in the storm drain and in the outfall of the Goffle Brook behind the Midland Park Shopping Center. One of the wells alone had an accumu- lation of seven feet of gasoline, he said. “That’s a significant amount of product,” he said. Pumping had reduced that amount to 1 in. by last Tuesday, he said, but was up to 5 in. by Thursday. In all, 1,100 gallons of gasoline had been recovered through last week. An automated system is being installed this week to continue the steady pumping and soil vapor extraction processes until a long-term solution can be designed and implemented, he said. There are 12 monitoring wells at the station. Concurrently, an NJDEP contractor worked at the Sears parking lot to repair the storm drain pipes. Two breaks were found in those lines through videotaping, accounting for the gasoline odor in the area. “We’ve abated the emergency and stopped the gas- oline and gas vapors from entering the storm drain system,” Cagno said. Cagno said further testing will be done at the gas station to determine the exact method of remediation necessary. Once a system is in place, the operation and maintenance will be handled by a different NJDEP unit. NJDEP has full jurisdiction of the situation. Ber- ninger said the borough has no direct involvement, since the problem is on private property. Friends of the Library plan meeting The Friends of the Library will meet from 7:45 to 8:45 p.m. on Aug. 27. The group will gather in the community room at the Midland Park Memorial Library, which is located at 250 Godwin Avenue. All are welcome. This volunteer group’s purpose is to provide equipment and programs that may not be covered by the library’s budget. Wireless Internet access, informational program- ming for children and adults, and seminars are some of the Friends’ past contributions to the community. For more information, contact Jennifer Triolo at (201) 444-6835 or jmtriolo11@gmail.com or Library Director Sue Lazzari, at (201) 444-2390.