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Work continues on a pit at Adventist Health office complex on West Lacey Boulevard near Greenfield Avenue in Hanford.
Work at the Hanford Community Medical Center uncovered a hazardous materials leak.
Work continues on a pit at Adventist Health office complex on West Lacey Boulevard near Greenfield Avenue in Hanford.
Work at the Hanford Community Medical Center uncovered a hazardous materials leak.
The recent removal of an underground fuel storage tank at the Hanford Community Medical Center led to the discovery of a hazardous materials leak.
According to a report released by the Kings County Department of Public Health, the 4,000-gallon underground storage tank serviced an emergency generator used for powering the refrigerators in the medical center's cafeteria.
The report stated "no less than 10 gallons of diesel fuel was present at the bottom of the tank pit with a very likely larger volume mixed in with pea gravel."
"It's difficult to say what caused the leak," said Luis Flores, an environmental health officer with the Public Health Department. It's possible the leak occurred in the fuel lines running to and from the tank."
The double-wall fiberglass tank was installed on Nov. 13, 1986; tanks like this often have a 30-year lifespan. The Public Health Department made the decision to perform the standard removal after the tank's underground system failed prior testing.
Site sampling of the pea gravel was performed during the removal, but the discovery of a concrete pad at the base of the former tank pit requires additional testing of the soil and groundwater to take place after the pads' removal.
The City of Hanford's first level of ground water can be as shallow as 50 feet below the grade (surface) and the diesel fuel release involved in the incident was found at a level of "no less than 18 to 20 feet below grade", according to the report.
Due to state regulations for underground storage tanks, the case is referred to the Regional Water Quality Control Board as the lead regulatory agency.
Jermaine Aguirre at the Regional Water Quality Control Board was not available for comment.
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