Calgarians who live near a northwest gas station are worrying about their health.
A fuel leak was found at the Gas Plus station on Bowness Road N.W. in May 2010.
In August, a neighbour called Alberta Environment to report they smelled gasoline in their basement.
The company reported to Alberta Environment that approximately 7,000 to 9,000 litres of gasoline had been released from Gas Plus Inc. over a period of several months. The gas station says the leak was the size of a pinhole and was leaking over time. A line under the pump malfunctioned and the company says it responded immediately.
But a nearby resident says he still smells gas in his house. "We didn't know what it was. We though it might've been a new laundry detergent. We though it migh have been the new fabric softener. Go thru everything making sure there's not paint in the house, trying to narrowing it down, that type of thing, before we realized it was coming out of the well," says Terry Floate.
Alberta Health Services says leaking gasoline can be a serious health hazard. "Long term concern is related to some components, in particular benzine, which is one of the components and it's known to be a cancer causing agent. So in the long terms, exposure there's a risk of the development of cancer," says Dr. Richard Musto, from Alberta Health Services.
Alberta Environment has slapped an environmental protection order on the company for failing to remediate contamination on and off its property.
Officials with the gas station say they are surprised by the protection order because they say they have been addressing the problem.
Gas Plus Inc. will have to mitigate any impacts of the leak, trace the spread of the contamination, and remediate it. It has until March 4, 2011 to comply.
