The reclamation work at Petro Canada in Parksville is complete with the gas station is now back in business and offering new and improved service.
Owner Wayne Pyke said the gas station re-opened on November 30 with state of the art gas dispensers and a green bill of health. He said the upgrades that were implemented will make it faster and more convenient for motorists to fill up as well as prevent any damage to the environment if a fuel spill were to occur.
He said they are now the only gas station in town that offers diesel at all of its pumps.
They also have pay pass at all of the dispensers and are using new touch and go technology.
“It makes it faster and more convenient for customers. We are the only folks in town with this latest technology,” he said.
The environmental upgrades carried out include lined catchment units under the fuel dispensers that will prevent any fuel that may be spilled from ending up in local waterways.
“If a sheer valve failed there is now a plastic liner to stop potential environmental issues such as an oil leak or anything getting into the storm drain,” Pyke said.
The maintenance work conducted was routine and part of the ongoing effort by Suncor Energy to make their gas stations more environmentally friendly.
The tank top upgrade included a wide scope of work that will provide better site drainage and gas pump islands that meet current safety standards.
According to the contractor who did the work, the old islands housing the gas pumps had rusty and sharp edges that were a potential safety hazard for customers. He said the new pump islands are now up to fire code and meet their strict environmental standards.
The contractor, who asked not to be identified due to Suncor Energy policy regarding the release of company information, said the soil removed from the site at 431 East Island Highway was sent to a reclamation facility in Cumberland where it was tested with no contaminants found.
The contractor said Petro Canada’s mandate is to have no steel in the ground because of potential rust and the steel gas tanks on the site were replaced several years ago with fibre glass.
reporter@pqbnews.com