State sues southeastern Minnesota gas station after gasoline leaks into Elgin’s water system

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is suing the owners of a gas station in Elgin, alleging they leaked 10,000 gallons of gasoline over the course of 41 days last year, with some of the gas reaching the community’s water system.

The complaint, filed in Olmsted County District Court Thursday morning, says that Gurek Inc., the owner and operator of the Cenex station on Second Avenue NE, knowingly bypassed safety equipment that would have prevented the leak. 

The state is seeking reimbursement for the more than $1 million it’s spent so far on the cleanup and repair it’s been doing since March 2022, when the leak was first discovered. 

The owner, Tejinder Singh, was not immediately available for comment. The complaint says Singh said he could not pay for the cleanup and repairs, but that the Minnesota Department of Commerce determined Singh did not qualify for financial hardship assistance.

So far, the MPCA says it's recovered about half the gas spilled in the leak. 

Even so, a gasoline plume — a large concentration of gasoline — remains underground. MPCA is warning that as seasonal groundwater levels change, the plume could move or expand, putting more groundwater and surface water at risk. 

While gasoline vapors haven’t been detected recently, MPCA says residents should call public safety if they smell gas in their homes.

The leak was initially discovered when the city received a complaint that a gas odor was coming from a storm sewer near the gas station. 

A contractor was hired to do immediate cleanup and repairs.

In October 2022, the MPCA received a complaint from a resident in an apartment building next to the gas station who reported that the water coming from their faucet smelled like gas, according to the complaint.

The state provided nearby residents with water and recommended they limit showers and baths. It was later confirmed that gas had leaked into the drinking water supply serving the apartment building. A second nearby residence was also affected. 

Ian Benoit lives across the street from the gas station. He was surprised to hear that so much gas had leaked, over such a long period of time. 

He said that the MPCA has tested his tap water four times since the leak, and it's been deemed safe, and it never smelled of gas. 

But he says he and his wife initially relied on bottled water when they learned of the spill.

"When they came and did the initial couple of tests, we didn't hear anything back so we were drinking bottled water,” he said. “We weren't sure what was happening with the groundwater. My wife is pregnant right now, we're expecting in June, so we are pretty wary of what we might be drinking. But everything has come back fine so far."

Benoit’s lawn is now home to one of six permanent test wells the state has installed to monitor the movement of the gas plume. 

In addition to the gasoline cleanup, the city’s water lines near the leak require repairs. Those repairs are expected to happen later this year. 

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