Early next week a portion of Highway 3 in downtown Keremeos will be closed as crews work to take out contaminated soil from an old gas station.
The contamination was discovered more than a month ago when contractors were working on a water main replacement in downtown under Highway 3 at the corner of 7th Street and 7th Avenue.
Since petroleum was smelled, contractor SNC Lavalin was brought in to assess the situation and test the soil.
SNC Lavalin’s found that water flowing through the pipes in the area was unaffected, but that there was a degree of soil contamination.
A gas station operated in that site for many years and has since been turned into a realestate office and the public library. No old gas tanks were found in the area.
The soil removal is slated to start Mon., June 25 and take two days. The intersection will be closed for the duration.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is covering the cost of the remediation.
The downtown water main project is slated to be complete by mid-July. With road paving scheduled for July and final brick work on the sidewalks to be completed in the following two weeks.
