(The Associated Press circulated the following story on March 17.)
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — Testing wells have been drilled underneath the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway refueling depot near Hauser. The depot was shut down last month at the request of state environmental officials who said leaks posed a threat to an underlying aquifer.
The eight wells are to test for leaks where no detection system was previously in place, said Rand Wichman, Kootenai County planning director.
“The borings will stay permanently and provide some ability to detect below the third liner if the need ever arises again,” he said.
Meanwhile crews are repairing cracks in the concrete and coating the 35,000-square-foot refueling platform with sealant. The loading platform and the tank farm, which holds two 250,000-gallon diesel storage tanks and some smaller ones, are also being repaired and sealed.
The refueling platform near Rathdrum was discovered leaking on Feb. 14. An earlier leak was shown to have contaminated groundwater in December, said DEQ site manager Mark Kalbaugh. That test revealed petroleum levels below the risk to human health, he said.
At the state Department of Environmental Quality’s request, 1st District Judge Charles Hosak ordered the railroad to close operations at the depot in February. Another hearing is scheduled April 5.
The $42 million depot opened Sept. 1. It sits atop an aquifer that is the sole source of drinking water for 400,000 people from Coeur d’Alene to Spokane, Wash.
The state and railroad are collecting and evaluating soil and water samples to evaluate the extent of the leaks, said DEQ hydrogeologist Gary Stevens.
Environmental groups and government officials from Idaho and Washington want an independent analysis to determine whether the depot can operate safely over the aquifer.