End in sight for cleanup of underground gasoline contamination in Yorba Linda at Imperial Hghwy

Finally – more than 15 years after Yorba Linda acquired land formerly occupied by a gasoline station on Imperial Highway just west of the library – an end is in sight for remediation of contamination caused by longtime leakage from the station's underground storage tanks.

A 60-day public review period for a “case closure” document ended May 11, and the Orange County Health Care Agency is expected to issue a notice authorizing the abandonment of 17 wells that were monitoring contamination from the 12,872-square-foot site.

The final step will be a “no further action needed” letter issued by the health care agency, “upon which the project will be deemed complete and the site eligible for use or sale,” the City Council was told in a May 19 report prepared by Assistant City Engineer Rick Yee.

The letter is needed before escrow can close on a sale of the former station site and library land to In-N-Out Burgers. The restaurant entered into a purchase agreement with the city in 2018, with the agreement amended at a March 17 council meeting to clarify several matters.

The city will assume liability for any additional remediation “that may become evident after the closing of escrow, construction of the project and opening of the restaurant,” according to a report to the council from Pam Stoker, the city's economic development manager, in March.

Stoker stated that the amendment clarifies the city's demolition and site preparation duties, including locating and staking utilities, abandoning and capping existing utilities at the prop-erty line and assisting in the quitclaim and release of certain easements on the parcel.

After the city purchased the property in 2004 to facilitate Imperial Highway widening, the Superior Court required the city to eliminate underground contamination. The removal of floating gasoline from the groundwater was completed in 2011, with the next years spent removing the dissolved gasoline mixed with groundwater.

The site now meets the technical requirements of the county health care agency and the guidelines set by the State Water Resources Control Board by the city-hired remediation contractor, Stantec Consulting Services, with some 17,500 pounds of contaminate removed.

Cost will total close to $1.2 million by the time the fencing with the green canvas security screen is removed, with the Orange County Transportation Agency and the State Under-ground Storage Tank Program picking up most of the expense.

The city's portion is expected to be $204,523. A $66,934 credit will be returned to the city.

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Yorba Linda has temporarily relaxed outdoor dining regulations for private property and public sidewalks and other public rights-of-way to help in reopening restaurant activities.

Areas are to be used for dining only, with no entertainment allowed under a one-page temporary use permit obtained from the Community Preservation Division at City Hall.