Environmental Contamination Risks Due to Leaking Underground Fuel Tanks (LUFT) of Gas Stations in AlQassim Region, Saudi Arabia

Gasoline is a complex contamination agent, which may be originated from a variety of contamination sources. Sources may include, among others, leakage of underground fuel storage tanks in gas stations and large farms. Identifying and quantifying the soil and groundwater contaminations due to leakage from the underground gasoline tanks are of primary importance in providing better regulations to protect the environment. This subject has not received much of researchers´ attention in the Middle East region which is recognized by its huge oil production industry. In Al-Qassim region of Saudi Arabia, most of the existing gas stations are more than 25 years old when the region started its development era. The technology used then for the construction of the stations as well as the underground gasoline tanks are outdated and did not consider the international standard environment protection regulations. Therefore, it is expected that severe soil and/or groundwater contamination has been taking place and accumulating for years. The current research presents an attempt to assess the risks associated with soil and groundwater contamination due to gasoline leakage. Several stations within the city of Buraidah, the largest city of Al-Qassim region, have been selected for the study. A statistical study about the current status of the gas stations and the associated risks is presented. As a result of this study, a geo-environmental investigation is then conducted for two gas stations. The results of the study showed that there is an actual case of gasoline leakage which led to soil contamination with gasoline substances. This soil contamination might also threat the groundwater resources in the region due to the leaching phenomenon. The study draws the attention of the authorities to the seriousness of this problem and the importance of starting a remediation process to overcome the problem.