WS-6406_24174_G_ELIG_20061215_Williamson Memo to George

MEMORANDUM To: George Matthis From: Herb Berger Date: December 15, 2006 RE: Caraway Grocery 3419 Oil Lexington Road Asheboro, NC 24174 UST Section Incident #24174 Background Information
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide a brief summary of the
circumstances surrounding the referenced site, which has been referred to the State Lead Program. The site was referred to the State Lead Program because the responsible party could not be located. Wade Dougan operated a gas station at the site until 1973 when he passed away. Herlocker Oil Company supplied
fuel to the USTs and may have owned the USTs. Herlocker Oil Company is no
longer in business. H.H. Dougan reportedly owned the property and Wade Dougan operated the store and gas station until 1973. The status of the USTs operated by Wade Dougan is unknown and the tanks may remain at the site. Alma S. Dougan, Frances Dougan Steere and Dorothy Dougan Fagge (Dougan
Heirs) inherited the property in 1986. An affidavit provided by Dorothy Dougan
Fagge indicates that the property was vacant from 1973 until the late 1980s or early 1990s when Carl Robbins began operating the store. However, according to Vernon Poole Company, two USTs were installed at the site during 1985. Furthermore, information provided by Phillip Poole with Vernon Poole Company
indicates that Mr. Randall Williamson purchased three pumps and two 2,000-
gallon gasoline USTs from Econo Oil Company on January 17, 1994. Based on a review of the tank permit file, it does not appear that Mr. Williamson paid any operating fees for the two 2,000 gallon USTs. A site inspection completed by John Hasty on January 18, 2006 indicates that the two gasoline UST installed in
1985 remain at the site and are not in compliance with NCAC 2N regulations.
According to the State Lead referral package, the tanks were last used in
State Lead Referral Caraway Grocery March 27, 2023 Page 2
January 1994 and the store closed in 1995. The Dougan Heirs currently own the
property. Gina Braswell with the Attorney General’s office was able to locate a
Mr. Randall Charles Williamson, who may be the owner of the two 2,000 gallon gasoline USTs at the site. The address for Mr. Williamson obtained by Gina Braswell is provided below:
Randall Charles Williamson
405 Sunset Street Randleman, NC 27317 The Dougan Heirs contracted Pyramid to perform a limited amount of
assessment work was done at the site. Based on the assessment work completed by Pyramid, it is not clear whether the UST reportedly installed in 1985 contributed to the release at the site. The USTs operated by Wade Dougan have degraded soil at the site. The presence of groundwater contamination has not been evaluated. Conclusions and Recommendations
The current owners inherited the property in 1986. Vernon Poole Company sold
two USTs to Randall Williamson in January 1994, and two to three fuel deliveries were made to the USTs by Mitchell Oil Company in 1993. The sale of the USTs by Vernon Poole Company implies that Vernon Poole Company owned the USTs. The tanks have not been properly closed, the USTs were in use after
November 8, 1984, and anyone who owned the USTs whether they used the tanks or not is considered a statutory tank owner. Therefore, Vernon Poole is a potentially responsible party in addition to Randall Williamson. It is not evident that the two USTs installed during 1985 leaked. However, soil
samples collected at the site indicate that the USTs operated by Wade Dougan had a petroleum release. The USTs were located in separate tank basins, but it is not clear whether the tanks supplied a common pump island. Before accepting the project into the state lead program, I recommend that the
Winston-Salem Regional Office pursue enforcement against Vernon Poole Company and/or Randall Williamson for failure to properly close the two, 2000-gallon gasoline USTs. If the tanks operated by Vernon Poole Company and/or Randall Williamson leaked, the work related to the release for the Wade Dougan tanks could be incorporated into the assessment on the two 2,000 gallon USTs.
Preliminary review of the information indicates that Mr. Williamson may be eligible for the commercial trust fund, and would likely be required to pay a $75,000 deductible.