HOLMES BEACH – Customers who purchased gas at Jessie’s Island Store immediately following Hurricane Idalia may have received a surprise they weren’t counting on – floodwater in their vehicle’s gas tank.
After several vehicles broke down after getting gas from the station, it was discovered that seals on the station’s underground tanks had failed. When the area was flooded by Hurricane Idalia, representatives from the Sarasota-based ATCO Inc./Merit Petroleum said that floodwater mixed with the gasoline in two of the tanks. The company estimates that more than 200 gallons of the tainted gasoline was sold, resulting in damage to vehicles.
According to the mechanics at CarParts.com, mixing water with gasoline in a vehicle can cause several problems depending on the amount of water in the tank. Some of the most common issues include the vehicle running roughly, the check engine light coming on shortly after putting the fuel in the gas tank and the engine stalling. Water in a vehicle’s fuel system also can cause corrosion to occur, which can lead to more issues down the road. Repairs to the vehicle may include flushing the fuel system and draining the gas tank to remove any water from the vehicle.
The underground gas storage tanks at the Island convenience store were cleaned out over the weekend of Sept. 8-10 and refilled with clean gasoline, according to ATCO representatives. At press time for The Sun, it was unconfirmed whether repairs to the seals on the tanks had been completed to prevent water from re-entering the storage tanks if the area floods in the future.
Anyone who believes they purchased some of the tainted gas is asked to stop by Jessie’s at 5424 Marina Drive in Holmes Beach and pick up a form to fill out and return to ATCO with any documentation concerning repairs needed to the vehicle after purchasing gas at the convenience store. Anyone who believes they may have purchased some of the ruined gas is advised to have their vehicle checked out by a certified mechanic and should not attempt to continue driving their vehicle without first having the gas tested to determine if any water is in the fuel tank, even if no performance issues with the vehicle have been noted.
The ruined gas is estimated to have been sold between the store’s reopening after Hurricane Idalia passed on Aug. 30 until the issues were noted the week of Sept. 4.
When Hurricane Idalia swept past Anna Maria Island on Aug. 29, storm surge combined with a king tide caused widespread flooding in all three Island cities. Holmes Beach police reported that there were several inches of standing water throughout the city center area where Jessie’s Island Store is located.
