Contaminated gas from stations in area appears under control

Unleaded fuel at 44 stations in Iowa,
Wisconsin and Minnesota mixed with diesel 

State regulators have already been busy checking out all the gas stations impacted by contamination problems this week.

Tanks at gas stations that held unleaded gasoline contaminated with diesel should be fine. That’s the word from Madison in the wake of a gas recall in La Crosse and the surrounding areas.

Several station in La Crosse and Onalaska were contaminated with diesel from an oil company in Minnesota over the weekend. Gas bought from these stations from Friday afternoon on could be contaminated.

Director of the state bureau of Weights and Measures, Judy Cardin, said people from her office have already come and tested the tanks and brought back samples to Madison.

“We did the screening there to insure that there weren’t any immediate problems that we could detect,” Cardin said. “We insured that the proper cleanout procedures had occurred at the time the pump outs happened over the weekend.”

Some vehicle problems have been reported in the area because of the contaminated gas that wound up in 44 stations across southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin.

“People shouldn’t be experiencing any problems at this point with fuel from those facilities,” Cardin said, adding that those stations have already been tested on site and samples collected for lab analysis

“We’re confident, at this point, that any product that’s being sold at those La Crosse stations do appear to have followed all the correct procedures.”

All of the contaminated gas has been recalled. There have been reports of some drivers in the area with minor engine problems as a result of the contamination.