MARFA — A malfunctioning overflow valve on a gas pump at the Marfa Municipal Airport on January 15 sent “a couple hundred gallons” spilling onto the ground at the Marfa Municipal Airport, which will result in at least $35,000 in cleanup costs, according to Airport Director Chase Snodgrass.
“We have a contractor hired that’s certified for environmental stuff like that,” Snodgrass said. They’re excavating the soil that was contaminated and hauling it off to a landfill that’s certified to receive it.” The spill was reported to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), he said. The TCEQ report was not immediately available.
The accident occurred when a worker was refilling a truck that fills jets at the airport. The valve, which is intended to shut off when the truck was full, failed and gas spilled until the worker could manually shut it off, Snodgrass said. Initial estimates for the cleanup were $35,000, but the cost could rise, depending on how deep the contractor has to go into the soil, he said.
“It is pretty expensive, but we have sufficient budget to cover it, including funds from Routine Airport Maintenance Program, which is a state grant,” Snodgrass said.
Precinct 4 Presidio County Commissioner David Beebe, who informally oversees airport operations for the county, said the cost wouldn’t directly impact the county budget because of the grant funding, but that every unintended expense can create a potential for problems if more events like this happen.