Here’s what’s next for underground Daufuskie Island fuel tanks deemed ‘unsafe,’ officials say

Two abandoned underground fuel tanks that have been an ongoing safety issue on Daufuskie Island for years are expected to be emptied and filled with safer material soon, according to the Daufuskie Island Council.

The council sent a news release to The Island Packet in March detailing the risk the tanks at Melrose Landing — which hold 5,000 gallons of fuel — pose to the environment.

“Should the tanks fail, there would be an immediate environmental threat to the Cooper River and to two adjacent commercial oyster leases,” the release said. “The site also serves as the terminus of the Beaufort County funded ferry.”

According to Roger Pinckney, environmental concerns coordinator for council, as of Thursday the council had received a bid to remove the fuel from the tanks and fill them with a non-harmful substance.

He said the bidder originally was to replace the fuel with concrete, but the bidder is working with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control to determine if sand or an expanding foam would be less expensive.

“In the original bid, I think the work was supposed to be done by the end of June,” Pinckney said. “... I think it’s going to happen hopefully before hurricane season.”

Attempts to reach DHEC for a more refined timeline for the work were not successful. Pinckney added that DHEC will pay for the tanks to be filled through funding accrued by annual underground storage tank fees that the state collects.

The tanks were installed in the late 1980s and do not meet current anti-corrosion safety standards, are not fitted with safety equipment, are not registered with the state and are not covered by insurance, according to the council release.

On March 5, a DHEC investigator visited the site and noted the tanks contained 5,000 gallons of waste gasoline and diesel fuel.

According to the release, the tanks were owned by Daufuskie Embarkment LLC. The company was ordered by DHEC to pay a $35,000 fine for failing to permanently close the tanks and pay fees associated with the tanks in 2015.

The fine remained unpaid as of March, according to council.

Daufuskie Embarkment filed for bankruptcy in March 2017, according to U.S. Bankruptcy Court records. In March, council members said Netherlands-based Lex van Hessen Holding BV owns the property.

The company is an affiliate of Odeon Singapore Limited — owner of Melrose Resort.

This story was originally published May 23, 2019 at 3:11 PM.