ATHOL – It appears the Town of Athol will have to wait a little longer to find out if the removal of oil-contaminated soil at the Millers River Environmental Center (MREC) has left the property pollution-free.

In the summer of 2023, plans were in the works to remove a large underground heating oil storage tank at the MREC, located at 100 Main St. in Athol. The property is owned by the town and leased by the Athol Bird and Nature Club, which oversees the site. The oil tank was described by ABNC President David Small as a “time bomb.”

Once the necessary permits were obtained from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), work on removing the tank commenced. However, as work progressed it was discovered that a small hole had developed in the 1,000-gallon tank and oil had seeped into the surrounding soil. Small said he believed the tank had been installed sometime in the 1970s, but it couldn’t be determined when oil first began leaking.

In March of this year, Town Manager Shaun Suhoski said the town had to file notice with the state DEP and a limited cleanup was undertaken, followed by more testing. That testing indicated a more extensive cleanup was needed, which required removal of contaminated soil from the site and disposal at a licensed facility.

Although the cleanup is not technically complete, active work on the project finished at the beginning of August. But tests done since then have resulted in a delay in declaring the work at an end.

Several earlier tests showed a lack of contamination but, said Small, “They then decided they needed two more (test) wells closer to Canal Street by the parking lot. So, they put those in about two weeks ago and they’re waiting for results of those tests. There are six wells around the area just to look for groundwater and any contamination. So far, there’s been nothing but they’re still waiting on results from those two new test wells.

“I guess what they decided is that the wells they put in were not adequate enough to capture the flow that might be going down towards the lower part of the parking lot. They just want to be sure they got everything. It’s just to see how far that plume may have migrated from the tanks site. So far, we’ve been lucky that it seems to have been contained.”

Even if these final tests show no additional contamination, Small explained, “They may have to come back in a year and double-check. But I don’t think we’re totally out of the woods yet until we know for sure everything has been removed.”

But Small remains hopeful these last two tests will come back negative for contaminants.

“The big thing is that the threat of contamination has been removed” by the installation of a new double-walled, 400-gallon heating oil tank in the basement of the MREC, said Small.

The initial cost of the cleanup was estimated at $89,000. The Finance and Warrant Advisory Committee approved the use of funds from the town’s reserve account. Suhoski said if the final two tests come back clean, the cost will end up being lower than the estimate. Cleanup was overseen by EnTact Solutions of Leominster, and soil excavation done by ENTECH Environmental Technicians of Cherry Valley.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.