Gas leak contained

The flow of gasoline from a leaky underground transfer line at the Exxon station on the corner of Meridian and West Idaho Streets has been halted, officials said Thursday. But gas is still running into the city's storm sewer system, they said.

The soil around the leaky pipe is so saturated that fuel was continuing to seep through joints in the storm drain in two places late Thursday, said Kalispell Human Resources Director and acting City Manager Terry Mitton, the incident commander. City Manager Jim Patrick is on vacation.

"Our goal is to stop the flow of gas into the storm sewer system," he said. "At this point, we've stopped any more from being put in the ground."

Crews have blocked off both ends of the drainage system near the leak, stopping the spread of gas through the rest of the storm sewer, Mitton said.

They are also digging a sump to collect gas-infused groundwater that would otherwise leak into the storm system. Excavations could continue throughout Thursday night, Mitton said.

"We're not quitting until the problem is solved," he said. "We can't allow this to continue."

While crews haven't been able to pinpoint the leak's exact location, they have pumped the entire contents of the station's underground storage tanks into waiting trucks.

But not before gasoline had entered Ashley Creek, Mitton said.

Crews set up absorbent pads and booms to absorb as much of the gas as they can, he said. Environmental damage has not yet been gauged, but crews are conducting tests downstream.

The leak prompted officials to close Meridian Road between Center Street and West Idaho Street on Wednesday from 1:30 p.m. to about 6 p.m. Portions of Meridian Road north of West Idaho Street were also cordoned off.

By Thursday afternoon, the southbound lanes of Meridian Road between Husky and West Idaho Streets were closed "indefinitely," according to the Kalispell Police Department.

The concentration of gasoline in the storm sewer system was still high enough Thursday to pose a slight risk of explosion, Mitton said.

"It's a low risk, but it does still exist," he said.

Authorities had been monitoring the growing quantity of gasoline in the storm drains since Saturday, but it wasn't concentrated enough for investigators to identify a source until Wednesday, Mitton said.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality was notified of the leak Monday and had an inspector out at the leak site Thursday.

The gas station passed its last inspection, which was in 2006, according to the Department of Environmental Quality.

A pungent, gas-like odor has been apparent along that stretch of Meridian Road for days. A resident in the area said she started smelling gas last Sunday.

The Exxon station was still open for business Thursday, except for fuel services.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com