Petroleum leak discovered at Adkins Store in Charles City

Some operations at Adkins Store in Charles City have been suspended due to the discovery of a petroleum leak.

A local Charles City County store is now the subject of an investigation after a petroleum leak was discovered.

Adkins Store, located at the 9900 block of Lott Cary Road, has been cited for violations by several organizations after two public meetings were held on Tuesday, July 16.

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Virginia Department of Health (VDOH), the Chickahominy Health District (CHD), and Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) met with constituents at two different locations to discuss preliminary findings.

DEQ’s Office of Spill and Response presented a timeline of their preliminary findings during the public meetings. According to their timeline, in 2020, Adkins Store was in compliance after ownership had changed. In 2021, a line split and repair was recorded, but the information was not reported to DEQ.

On June 17, 2024, DEQ received a report of the smell of fuel in the store’s water. The next day, DEQ inspected the station and discovered evidence that a leak had taken place. A consultant went to two nearby resident wells to test the water to see if those wells were contaminated.

On June 19, gasoline was found in the sump areas of the gasoline tank pit. Gas tanks and lines passed testing. The next day, DEQ notified the Chickahominy Health District of the possible contamination, also contacting nearby residents to conduct additional well testing.

Currently, DEQ has only said that on Aug. 24, 2021, there was evidence of an unreported release. Their current investigation is also looking to identify the responsible party in the matter. According to DEQ, all 12 nearby residential wells within a 1,000-foot radius of the store were sampled, with results determining that samples were below detectable limits for petroleum compounds.

VDOH issued a “Do Not Drink” notice for water at the store after being notified of a possible petroleum leak. On June 24, that was upgraded to a “Do Not Use” notification, resulting in the old well being turned off and noticed posted on the doors and restrooms in the facility. Those signs remain in place as of today.

Ownership of Adkins Store changed approximately four months ago, with the new owner’s consultant collecting samples of five wells around the site. The new store owner requested a well site visit on June 10 of this year, which was conducted on June 13 according to VDH. A new site was approved on June 18.

Results from the five old wells are expected to be released to the public in the future. Upgrades and repairs are ongoing at Adkins store, as additional monitoring wells and an ongoing vacuum truck visit is scheduled to be on site on a weekly basis. VDOH is also making sure that a new well is being placed to obtain a new water source as the treatment of an existing well and connecting to a public water system is not feasible. Routine testing for contaminants and reporting of the system operations must also be approved according to VDOH’s presentation.

CHD reported that two chemicals exceeded the recommended Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water level. Toluene was discovered at 23.6 milligrams/liter (safe level one milligram per liter), and Benzene at 7,730 ppb (permissible level of 5 ppb) were detected in store’s well water. Those chemicals were not discovered at the 12 surrounding properties of homeowners.

VDACS said that permits to serve food in a deli are not transferable from owner to owner and that a new application is required. Until that takes place and the new well is approved, deli sales at Adkins Store have been suspended.

At the public meetings, residents expressed concerns about consuming items from the deli during the leak and if there were any long-term effects. CHD listed a few of the side effects from the exposure.

Further information about the incident can be located on Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality website at https://www.deq.virginia.gov/topics-of-interest/adkins-store-petroleum-release.