DNR battles fuel leak at East Prairie gas station

A growing fuel leak has put an East Prairie, Mo., service station in a dangerous predicament, said Jackson Bostic, area on-scene coordinator for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The owner of the East Side Store on West Highway 80, Jeff Hedges, called DNR in May to report what he suspected was a leak from a gasoline storage tank. A car hit the dispenser in March and knocked it off a valve -- slowly causing more than 15,000 gallons to saturate the surrounding soil.

"I went down and checked on his inventory and we did some poking around in the ground and it's turned out he's got fuel everywhere," Bostic said.

The cleanup started Sunday and a bigger vaccuum pump is being brought in today to remove the remaining gasoline in the soil, but that won't take away the vapors.

DNR officials are calling it the biggest underground gasoline spill associated with a gas station in the state's history, Bostic said. The plume measures 300 by 300 feet and runs from 1.5 to 3.5 feet deep.

The service portion of the station was closed for two days, but the retail side has re-opened.

"The station is contaminated," Bostic said. "It's no longer usable."

A groundwater investigation will be done by DNR to make sure the spill hasn't contaminated the city's well. Though so far, samples taken have shown no contamination.

The cost to clean up the mess could run between $40,000 to $60,000, Bostic said. No evacuations were necessary and there have been no illness complaints related to the spill.

Bostic said city and county officials have been helpful in the cleanup and DNR is appreciative.