MISSOULA – As much as 2,000 gallons of gas spilled after someone drove into a gas pump in a west Missoula neighborhood, and nearby residents were warned that their groundwater may be contaminated, authorities said.
The wreck happened early Saturday at Target Range Market on Clements Road.
Dan McCaffery, an independent environmental engineer who oversaw the cleanup, said homes in the area are on wells and have been alerted that gas might have reached groundwater.
“You never get it all on these kinds of releases,” he said. “Fifty percent is the best-case scenario, and we’re thinking we got most of the 50 percent, if not all of that.”
McCaffery said a neighbor heard a loud bang and squealing tires at 4:30 a.m. Saturday, and a clerk at the market smelled the leak at about 6 a.m. and called authorities.
Crews arrived a few hours later, McCaffery said, and vacuumed about 1,300 gallons of gasoline before about 100 cubic yards of contaminated soil was dug up.
“It looks like it went down and sideways (toward the street) rather than straight down, but that could be wishful thinking,” said McCaffery.
He said a storm drain was removed during the process of getting the gasoline.
“We think we’re starting to see evidence of clean soils,” he said.
McCaffery said only time will tell if wells in the area become contaminated.