BALTIMORE, MD (Feb. 21, 2006) – Over the weekend, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) responded to a significant leak at a gasoline station in northern Baltimore County. The department is currently overseeing the recovery effort. ExxonMobil notified MDE’s Oil Control Program on Feb. 17 of an approximate 25,000-gallon leak in a regular unleaded gasoline line at a Jacksonville Exxon station. The station is located at the intersection of Jarrettsville Pike (Rt. 145) and Paper Mill Road (Rt. 146).

To date, ExxonMobil under the direction of MDE has retrieved 3,100 gallons of gasoline. The Jacksonville station has been closed since Friday and all of the product has been pumped out of the tanks. So far, the underground utilities are clean and ExxonMobil is starting to test drinking water wells in the area as required by MDE. The community depends on groundwater for their drinking water supply.

“MDE staff mobilized immediately to the area and have been overseeing all the cleanup actions since we were first notified on Friday,” said MDE Secretary Kendl P. Philbrick. “While the source of the leak has been eliminated, MDE is in the beginning stages of the investigation to determine the cause of the release. MDE continues to push Exxon to aggressively recover as much of the gasoline as possible since the site is located in a high-risk groundwater use area.”

As required by MDE, three 6-inch recovery wells were installed yesterday to enhance recovery efforts. The stormwater manholes are also being monitored as well as the seasonal stream (now dry) located immediately downgradient of the site. MDE is requiring ExxonMobil to sample several off-site adjacent drinking water wells selected by the department and expects some preliminary results today. The company must provide MDE with daily e-mail status updates on product recovery and field activities. Exxon is coordinating their investigation with BP Amoco, a neighboring station. According to Exxon, the company first knew of this problem on Feb. 16. MDE is investigating the cause of the release.

The community association was notified on Friday. MDE Oil Control Program staff will provide the local community association with an update during their regularly scheduled meeting today at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Jacksonville Elementary School.

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