SITE INFORMATION AND CORRESPONDENCE_2004-2019

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OCT 26, 2007 ------ SUN POST 17 ti i5S ' 4-41, 0 at By Ben ivlavmie Sun Post MANTECA In �7',!� December,the state water board will make Y another attempt to get a Manteca gas station owner to clean up pollu- tion from leaky under- ground storage tanks discovered 15 years ago. The leaky tanks,which San Joaquin County health officials first noticed in 1992,continue to cause. r A problems for driijking: wells in the neighborhood, near the Frank's One Stop gas station on the corner of'Yoselmite Avenue and An-port Way. Ben Llafrrone/Sun Post Frank Guinta,the MEAS:Robert Mack stands before tanks that filter gas-contaminated water from his backyard owner and former opera- well at 185 N.Airport INdy.Two local businessmen have beeri ordered to clean up the area. for of the station who also owns the Chez Shari implicated the previous being taken back before state is trying to get both restaurant at Manteca'.s station owner,Janies the state board and are men to investigate the- municipal golf course, Ramsey;as being involved likely` to be served with contamination fully and faced a$400,000 fine last in the leak.Ramsey- a new cleanup order for pay for its removal. year for failing to obey . claimed he was unfairly the 15-year-old gas leak. an order to clean up the fined because he never Brian Newman,who CLEANUP,CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 contaminated area. received the order,and heads the water board's The fine was thrown the fine was dismissed. underground storage tank Dut,however,after Guinta Now,both men are cleanup program,said the CLEANUP CONTRUD FROM PACE 5Robert Mack,77,who has lived up ... Theirproposed order the street from the gas station since The board has a new cleanup for clean7,1p is co'772-pleteZY 1982,said he figures the state. won't order that Ramsey and Guinta unjustified and has no ever get-a total cleanup of the area. must respond to.The only differ- basis in either science I got another whole pile of junk ence from the old one,Newman in the mail a couple weeks ago," said,is that the deadlines have or engineering. Mack said. "It's the same old stuff." been pushed back. Mmes Ramsey He's not even sure that filters Ramsey said the order is point- Fjr,-per gac_stnitiol,ovvvey on his well are working properly less,because toxin froryi the still.shows toxins in water from their said he and his wife forbid leaked tanks mostly have dip- 10 wells near the gras station. their grandchildren to drink any pearod over the past decade. . Gruinta declined to comment on of the well water. The pollution that was there the new order,on the advice of his "They come in every six moriths five or six years ago and the poi- attorney..orney. and they test the water to make lut,ion that's there now are com- Meanwhile,.the state water board sure there's nothing going through, pletely different" said Ramsey, the filter...but I don't have much is paying to filter water from the who claimed his figures came from nearby wells.Guinta paid to add faith in them" Mack said. the state's own reports."So their filters to the wells in 2000,using 0 YVe want to hear what you have to proposed or for cleanup is corn- money from.a state gas tax reserved say.Comment on this story at www. pletely unjustified and has no basis for toxic spills,blit he stopped main- sunpost.net,or to reach reporter Ben in either science or engineering." taining therr a few years later,after Marrone,call 239-6351 or e-mail Newman said state monitoring the state mono; ran out. bmarrone@sunpost.net. f ...................................................................... .......... . ... ...................