Village of Westmont
Date Issued: October 23, 2017
Village of Westmont and other local authorities met with representatives of Speedway on Monday, October 23 regarding the gasoline leak reported October 20 in south Westmont. The status of the situation remains stable and the mitigation/inspection process continues.
Speedway has personnel and contractors on site working to mitigate the situation and test for gasoline and gas vapor in the sewer system. While testing has revealed some areas to have higher readings than other areas, no dangerous and/or explosive levels have been found since the mitigation process began. When higher than usual readings have occurred, Speedway has sent representatives to homes in those areas to notify residents and the take additional readings.
Since approximately 2 p.m. on Friday, October 20, there have been no reports of flashes/explosions in buildings. During this time, there have been additional reports of gasoline smell in the area, but all reports were investigated and determined to be at a nuisance level only and not dangerous. Additionally, there were reports of a noise sounding like a minor explosion on the evening of Saturday, October 21, but upon investigation, no physical evidence of damage was found.
As of Friday afternoon, the sanitary sewer line in question was plugged to prevent any further contamination. Also, the leak at the Speedway Gas Station on South Cass Avenue has been stopped and all of the gasoline from the underground storage tanks at Speedway have been removed. The sanitary lines continue to be mitigated by adding emulsifiers and flushing the lines with water.
Illinois EPA is in charge of the investigation in regard to all environmental concerns and the State Fire Marshal is responsible for conducting the investigation regarding the underground storage tanks at the Speedway Gas Station.
Speedway continues to work with local agencies on this matter and has established a process by which individuals and businesses adversely impacted by this event can submit claims. Those businesses or individuals can reference the Speedway Response website,
www.speedwayresponse.com, or call 866-601-5880.
The status of the situation remains stable, however, if citizens smell gasoline in their home or business, they should call 9-1-1 immediately.
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CONTACT:
Larry McIntyre
Village of Westmont Communications Director
Public Information Office
630-417-0280
lmcintyre@westmont.il.gov
