CHICAGO, Sept. 27, 2000, (Bell & Howell) — Fuel from a leaking pump at an Elgin gas station seeped into storm sewers early Saturday morning before the problem was discovered, authorities said.
Elgin fire personnel were called to the Amoco gas station at 338 S. McLean Blvd. around 6 a.m. after a passer-by noticed gas leaking from a damaged pump. The pump looked as if someone had hit it with a vehicle, said Deputy Chief Jim Saletta of the Elgin Fire Department.
"We don't know how long it was leaking prior to us getting there, but it got into the storm sewer system," Saletta said.
Luckily, authorities were able to turn off the pump and clean up the spilled fuel before it spread through the sewer to the Fox River. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, an Amoco cleanup team and Elgin fire personnel worked to soak up the fuel, which had settled into two catch basins, and flush storm sewers until nearly 2 p.m.
The spill did not threaten residents' health or get near any other businesses or homes, Saletta said. A portion of Main Lane was closed during the cleanup, but traffic was not affected.
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