Airport Responds To Fuel Leak

Airport employees caught the sight of fuel on the blacktop located near the fuel pump at the Wokal Field Glasgow International Airport on Saturday, March 21. That sighting created quick action as the airport tore up the pavement and ground looking for a leak that turned out to be a very small leak.

Airport Manager Lucas Locke said that it was a corroded pipe with a pinhole leak that surfaced through a small crack in the pavement. He said that the pipe that was placed in the ground in the 1980s might not have been sealed right. It corroded around a joint. They had an environmental engineer come to the airport to help find the place of the leak.

County Commissioner Paul Tweten told the city council last week that they had already removed the contaminated soil. Locke confirmed that as well and said they took samples of the soil to make sure they knew where the contamination was.

Currently the airport board and Locke are looking at options to repair the pipe. They aren't able to use the fuel pump, but have been extracting fuel with the fuel truck to continue business. He said that they can no longer use metal piping, that they have to use a plastic piping that has a double wall. They would then install a man hole cover and have an alarm and monitoring system installed. Another option was to put a single 1,000 gallon tank and continue to use the fuel truck. Or place a fuel farm underground, which could be difficult to insure.

They are waiting for estimates and different options they might have and are still discussing things. He said the fuel farm option would mean an environmental study that could last up to two months.

While business is continuing, the self serve fuel was shut down due to the leak, but fuel sales are continuing with the fuel truck. Locke said they haven't slowed down at all on fuel sales and that they had pumped 500 gallons last week. They were interviewing engineers, as the contract on the airport was up and he said that they had to have a consulting firm.