Heavy rain in April apparently tainted gas in northwest Indiana, shutting down pumps at numerous area gas stations and potentially impacting dozens of drivers.
On Monday alone, Mariel Chambers with the Lake County Department of Weights and Measures said she received at least 45 calls from drivers who believe their cars were damaged by bad gas.
Chambers said all pumps were shut down at a Marathon on Calumet Avenue in Munster, which will be out of commission for six weeks, and at a Citgo on Broadway in Merrillville, where as much as 11 inches of contamination was discovered in ground tanks.
At a Love’s Travel Stop in Gary, only unleaded gas was being served to customers.
"Soon as I got outside of th gas station, no power in the car at all," said driver Larry Patton, whose car was damaged by the contaminated gas.
Patton took his car to a mechanic, who told him there was water in the tank.
The issue of rain water contaminating ground tanks for northwest Indiana gas stations has been going on for months, but the sustained rainy weather in recent weeks amplified the issue, Chambers said.
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"We have from April 27 up until May 3, constaint rain," Chambers said. "Because these are high-flooded areas it saturated into the ground."
Previously, a Good to Go in Hobart saw as much as six inches of contamination, which shut down all pumps for about a month. Those pumps reopened last week, however.
Also in Hobart, pumps at the Gill on Michigan Street were shut down for two months after two inches of contamination was found in tanks. An employee at the station said the pumps were checked out and have since reopened.
Similarly, pumps at a Citgo on 15th Avenue in Gary were also closed for two months due to 10 inches of contamination, Chambers said. Those pumps have also recently reopened.
Chambers said the issue was not the gas stations’ fault, but is warning drivers whose vehicles may have been impacted to call her office at (219) 755-3680 and file a report.
"It's not the station's fault- not at all," Chambers said. "It's the area that is a high flood zone."
NBC 5 reached out to the affected stations for comment but did not receive a response. Contractors were working at many of the stations to try and fix the problem.
