Authorities investigating gasoline leak at southern Minnesota gas station

Local and state officials are investigating a gasoline leak discovered earlier this week at a gas station in Lake Crystal, Minn., west of Mankato.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said Friday the leak at the Collis C Store along State Highway 60 has allowed gasoline to enter groundwater and the city’s sanitary sewer system.

Efforts to stop the leak are underway, but authorities said that because gasoline got into the sewer system, there’s a chance that gasoline fumes could enter homes and businesses in Lake Crystal. Anyone who smells gasoline fumes is asked to contact the local fire department.

The scale and the impacts of the leak are still being investigated. There’s a lake across the highway from the gas station, but the MPCA said Friday it’s not yet known if or how the lake might be affected.

The gas station and nearby residences are on city water, not individual wells in that vicinity. The agency said it was waiting for test results on the drinking water at the gas station.