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Park is doing well
Council approves groundwater monitoring devices
new deh city council heizer park pic 1
Heizer Park will be the site of a series of monitoring wells to check for groundwater contamination in the southeast part of Great Bend. - photo by Dale Hogg

A Manhattan company has been approved to install monitoring wells on city park land to make sure there is no oil contamination in the southeast part of the community.
Monday night the Great Bend City Council approved the request from Associated Environmental Inc. which is seeking to install up to nine monitoring wells, according to City Engineer Robert Winiecke.
The investigation was called for by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment involving an area that could have been impacted by above ground storage tanks from Bird Oil Bulk Plant, the city engineer explained.
According to information from AEI, “On March 17, 2006 petroleum contaminated soil was encountered during an emergency excavation related to a gasoline spill.
“Pre-existing contamination was discovered and believed to be from the cut-off buried piping from the above ground storage tanks.
“At this time KDHE is requesting the installation of up to nine groundwater monitoring wells on and around the subject property for the purpose of groundwater sample collection.”
The collection spots would be in Heizer Park, especially along the west and south boundaries, Winiecke explained.
The location will need to be spotted in carefully, he added, because there is a sewer line near where the wells would be placed.
Each well will be capped with a four-inch cap that will be flush with the ground. “It shouldn’t impact any of our activities,” the city engineer commented.
It only takes about an hour to install a well, it was added.
There is no cost to the city.