Efforts to make sure an underground fuel leak hasn't spread to neighboring properties are drawing opposition from Valparaiso residents.
An abandoned gas station at 1307 Calumet was found to have an underground storage tank that was leaking. City Attorney Patrick Lyp says the tank was removed last year, as part of the Indiana Finance Authority's Brownfields Program. Now, officials are testing the surrounding area to make sure the petroleum didn't migrate.
"Some accommodations were made by the Indiana Finance Authority for the residents there," Lyp told the city council Monday. "There would not be any pipes or any types of apparatus poking out of the ground. They would test one time, which would be in the next couple of weeks, and then test again sometime in the spring of 2024.
But nearby homeowners want to put the testing on hold. They worry about the disruption and safety hazards it might bring. But beyond that, resident Jeff Garnes is also concerned the testing could impact property values.
"If you want to sell your home, it's going to be in the disclosures. And there's even more," Garnes told council members.
They want city officials to suspend the state's permit to work in the right of way, until other alternatives — like horizontal drilling — are considered.