Illinois EPA asks Attorney General’s Office to take enforcement action against Lily Lake gas station owner

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has asked the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to take enforcement action against the owner of a gas station in Lily Lake after nearly 8,000 gallons of gasoline leaked last week from exposed underground storage tanks at the station.

The station is located at the intersection of routes 64 and 47 in Lily Lake. At 3:22 a.m. April 6, the Elburn & Countryside Fire Protection District responded to the Shell station for the report of an outside odor of gasoline. Upon arrival, crews found a fueling center that has been under construction and a strong odor of gasoline coming from the tank storage area, Fire Chief Joe Cluchey said.

The Illinois EPA has referred an enforcement action to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office against station owner LB Five, LLC Series E. The referral cites violations of the Illinois Environmental Protection Act.

LB Five, LLC Series E, which purchased the station in July 2021 according to online records, could not be reached for comment. At the time of the incident, the service lines from seven existing underground storage tanks were being repaired in response to an earlier leaking underground storage tank incident, according to the Illinois EPA.

The tanks were partially filled with gasoline in preparation for final testing, EPA officials said.

“It appears stormwater runoff filled the excavation area, causing three of the tanks to float and rupture when they impacted concrete, which was partially covering them,” Illinois EPA officials said. “The rupture of the tanks resulted in the release of their contents, an estimated 8,000 gallons of gasoline, which was mixed with rainwater and ran off the site. The runoff discharged into a large wetland area south and east of the site.”

An environmental remediation contractor has been hired by LB5 to begin immediate cleanup, including placing absorbent booms downstream of the gas station, digging trenches to channelize the area, and skimming up the fuel/water mixture. An investigation of the incident and remediation at the site continues, Illinois EPA officials said.

The referral asks the Attorney General’s Office to obtain an injunction against LB5 and direct the company to take all appropriate early actions, including identifying and mitigating fire, explosion, and vapor hazards at the site. According to Illinois EPA officials, the company must address the impacts of the release and contamination to the surrounding area and wetlands from the runoff as well as all other necessary corrective actions pursuant to the Environmental Protection Act.