Recent reports of a fuel spill at a Circle K station in Chino Valley have prompted inquiries from Citizens who are concerned that City of Prescott production wells in the vicinity may be affected. In a recent message to City Council members, City of Prescott Utilities Manager Steven Olfers stated that “We are confident that this spill will have no effect on the (City’s) supply wells in the Chino Valley Area.”
Olfers statement reads: “The Utilities Team has been monitoring the events surrounding the release of gasoline into the environment in Chino Valley. Our closest well is Chino Well #4 is over a mile from the Circle K spill site. We are in compliance with all testing requirements for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and we will be participating in the testing program by ADEQ to conduct surveillance on all our Chino well sites.” Olfers went on to say that “Fortunately, because the gas spill was at or near the ground surface, there is a very small probability that the aquifer that we pump out of will be affected. Currently, ADEQ (Arizona Department of Environmental Quality) has focused most of their surveillance testing on the private wells near and around Circle K. As a routine, ADEQ will monitor the travel of the plume and will alert surrounding owners, including the City, if those samples indicate contamination. We are confident that this spill will have no effect on the supply wells in the Chino Valley Area.”
The press release from ADEQ on this fuel spell event can be viewed at https://azdeq.gov/pr/circlek
