SEARCH FOR GAS LEAK NARROWED

The source of a gasoline leak in the vicinity of Morgan Oak and Asher streets has been narrowed but not located, the Cape Girardeau fire chief said.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources drilled three holes with one hitting "a pocket of pure gasoline," Fire Chief Dan White said. The gasoline was found at the southwest corner of Rhodes 101 gas station, 407 Morgan Oak St.

Whether the gasoline is seeping from an old tank, a new tank or some other source is unknown, White said.

At various times, gas stations have operated all along Morgan Oak Street near the Mississippi River bridge, said Jim Mauer, an owner of Rhodes 101. Prior to stricter gasoline regulations, older stations would close without properly shutting down underground holding tanks, he said.

"That used to be a real gasoline alley," Mauer said. "It's just so hard to pinpoint the location of old tanks."

Gasoline stations have operated at the site for over 50 years, Mauer said. He said Rhodes 101 bought the station about 15 years ago. At the time of purchase one outdated holding tank was dug up and removed, he said.

Rhodes 101 has hired an environmental contractor from Poplar Bluff, Smith and Co., to test tanks and fuel lines in addition to searching for other leak possibilities, Mauer said.

On Thursday a hole approximately 17 feet deep was dug in the southwest corner of the gas station's lot so that a monitoring well could be put in place.

White said the leak, which was first noticed June 15, has never reached a level making it dangerous to area residents, which is the reason he has downplayed the discovery.

At its highest recorded level, the gasoline had gained 25 percent of the strength necessary to be explosive, said Jackson Bostic, environmental emergency specialist with the Department of Natural Resources.

Rhodes 101 hired an outside contractor as part of its compliance to an insurance fund for underground gasoline tanks. Petroleum companies that want to continue as members of the fund must have electronic monitoring equipment dated no later than 1998 and pass a yearly renewal.

"It's a good watchdog system," Mauer said.

The last major gasoline leak in Cape Girardeau occurred in December 1998 at Spanky's Texaco, 2201 Broadway. From a hole the size of a pencil, more than 1,800 gallons of gasoline leaked into sewers and the ground.

That leak started a cleanup and monitoring process that could continue for years, said David Barklage, owner of Spanky's.

After fixing the leak, a monitoring plan and study were completed at a cost of more than $10,000, Barklage said. He will soon present the plan to DNR for approval.

The length of time that a DNR monitoring plan remains in force varies, Barklage said. Some plans are six months; others last up to 10 years.

"It's a matter of looking for yet unknown pockets of gasoline, because it's not going to go away," he said. "It comes from the ground and will stay in the ground for as long as you leave it there."