Chevron is working to clean up hazardous residue just off a heavily traveled road in San Luis Obispo — Tank Farm Road.
Lightning sparked a massive oil fire at the SLO Tank Farm in 1926 and now nearly 100 years later, the cleanup process is underway at the North Marsh part of the property.
Contaminated dirt is being transported to the Santa Maria Landfill every day by the truckload.
In 1926, oil residue seeped into the ground and the groundwater.
The San Luis Obispo City Council unanimously approved Chevron’s permit for remediation in 2014. Now, Chevron is working to restore the area. They acquired the land from Union Oil Company of California back in 2005.
"You definitely hear the tractors out there grinding away. I actually think it’s really good they are cleaning up the land, it’s been a really long time," said John Roe, owner of Complete Automotive, located across the street from SLO Tank Farm.
Some nearby business owners say they are thinking of buying parts of the land once the remediation project is complete.
According to the SLO Tank Farm website, the Environmental Impact Report found that it would be possible to develop the land in the future.
Chevron plans to restore much of the wetlands in the area giving attention to species such as Steelhead trout, winter burrowing owls and morning glory.
A spokesperson from Chevron, Juliet Don, said the restoration work will continue over the next two years and so far, the work is going well.
