They aren't calling it an oil spill but Sol Belize has confirmed what the company is calling an "oil leak" at one of its Shell gas stations in Cayo. Reports to our newsroom are that between 800 and 1200 gallons of gasoline leaked from an underground storage tank at the Shell Gas Station near the Hawksworth Bridge in San Ignacio Town. Sol Belize would not confirm that number, but the numbers hardly matter now because that leaked gas seeped into the ground and last week it surfaced on the banks of the Macal River.
We spoke to Sol's country manager Joe Habet and put this story together with help from our colleagues at the Cayo Star. Here's the story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
It is here on the banks of the Macal River, right near the Hawksworth Bridge in San Ignacio, that the oil slick appeared. There is a film of oil visible
on the surface of water. But on the banks - it's like a home made oil field. These holes, just a foot from the river's edge, were dug out with a standard posthole digger and about 2 and a half to 3 feet deep. This bottle was filled with gas from that small hole.
The source of the oil is this Shell gas station at the entrance of San Ignacio which is located up the hill from the Macal River. Shell's Country Manager Joe Habet says about 9 months ago they discovered a leak in one of the station's underground oil tanks.
Joe Habet, Sol Belize
"Couple months ago we detected that one of the tanks under the service station was leaking some fuel, a little bit over a period of time; everyday a couple gallons had been reported short. So at that time which was probably eight to nine months ago, we shut off the use of that tank. Now what we suspect is that the little fuel that was leaked at that time, has now finally came down through the earth and is at the riverside."
Keith Swift,
Was this as a result of negligence on the part of Shell?
Joe Habet,
"What caused it is that the service station is extremely old, its 45 years old and the tank underground is about that age. So we have been monitoring it because as any oil company would do, the older your sites - the more monitoring you do on your tanks. So we've been monitoring it and for that period we had a very close eye on it. That's why I don't think it's a very big problem because we were monitoring it for a while."
But Habet concedes they don't know how much oil escaped from the 2,500 gallon tank. All they do know is that occurred over a period of time.
Keith Swift,
You said little fuel, do we know exactly how much fuel was leaked?
Joe Habet,
"At this time its difficult to quantify. What we can say is over a period of time the service station was reporting some shortages, everyday short of
a couple gallons - 10 to 15 gallons short everyday for a period of time and then we shut it down so that's about what we know at this time."
Keith Swift,
We've heard estimates that it could be as much as 1,200 gallons.
Joe Habet,
"It depends on how long it was going. It depends on how long. It could be that but I am not sure if it is that much."
Working along with the Department of Environment and the San Ignacio Town Council, Shell has installed these "boons" as they are called. Habet says it should prevent the oil from spilling further into the river.
Joe Habet,
"What we've done is put a boon along the river side so the fuel will stay there, it wouldn't go out. As it comes down, and some of it will come down into the river bank and will come into the river but we put a boon to stop it from keep going further so we can contain it there. And luckily its super fuel, V-Power, so that evaporates very fast so it is unlike other products which would sit there. The rate it is coming out at is very slow and it will evaporate as it comes out so to the environment its really no major threat."
Habet says the company recognizes the leak poses both a fire and health danger. Health danger mainly because it has occurred at the entrance of a major town and on the banks of a river that's a popular swimming area.
Joe Habet,
"We are very aware of the sensitivity where on a daily basis the locals in San Ignacio swim in there. I was there yesterday and there were people swimming along, there were people swimming ten feet away from where the oil is. So we are aware that people are swimming in there and that's why we're keeping a very close eye on it. As we speak we have our maintenance people there. They are putting all the signs that are necessary around it. So if you would happen to visit anytime soon, you will see all the signs and precaution signs that are around the area that the fuel is."
The tank that was leaking has been shut off. It has been replaced with a new tank. Shell's Joe Habet says the gas station is 45 years old and is in the process of a complete overhaul. We were unable to get comment from the Department of the Environment which has been involved in the containment effort. For obvious reasons, the area continues to be a fire hazard, but up to newstime, it had not been blocked form public access and neither had there been erected any signage noting the hazards.
