Gas leak reported at Sunoco station, Ohio EPA on-scene

A gas leak near Sunoco between College Corner Pike and Hester Road has caused discomfort for some homeowners.

Nathan French, a Miami University professor, said for the past 72 hours it has smelled like gasoline near his house. A state fire marshal went door to door handing out information cards with numbers for people to call with questions, French said.

On July 24, Assistant City Manager Jessica Greene confirmed there was a gas leak to Oxford Free Press. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was on-site, and the city had no involvement in the response, Greene told the Free Press.

When questioned, several local homeowners had not heard anything about the leak.

Members of the Ohio (EPA) were at the scene but declined to comment.

In a July 25 email to the Oxford Free Press, a spokesperson for the EPA wrote that the filter on a Sunoco gas pump released gasoline onto soil in the area, a surface water drain and a ditch line on Tuesday. The fuel traveled approximately 300 feet from the gas station, according to the Ohio EPA.

The discharge was stopped, and the facility is currently closed with recovery of the affected off-site area and tank cavity underway. The EPA wrote that there is no evidence of migration of fuel from the tank cavity.

The Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations, which oversees the operation of underground storage tanks containing petroleum, and its contractor conducted a pressure test and determined all lines failed, according to the Ohio EPA.

The Ohio EPA wrote in an email July 26 that the Sunoco gas station is not within the source water protection area for Oxford, meaning it is not close to the drinking water well field. The fuel cannot seep into home drinking water pipes.

Ohio EPA issued a Notice of Regulatory Response Interest to the station owner.

The story was updated July 26 to include an update from the Ohio EPA.