Water Discovered in South Louisiana Gas Station’s Fuel Tanks
A Louisiana Department of Agriculture spokesperson has confirmed that fuel sold at a South Louisiana gas station did contain water and that's why almost a dozen cars had to be towed after fueling at the station. Over the weekend several motorists had reported bouts of car trouble following a fuel stop at the station. Six of those vehicles had to be towed in for service.
This prompted an investigation by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture. That is the department that is responsible for certifying and verifying fuel sales and purchases at the pump across the state. The investigators focused their attention on a particular gas station on US 165 in Kinder.
Managers for Chadeaux's, the gas station in question, reported an issue with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and investigators confirmed that water had managed to work its way into the station's fuel tanks.
You might recall much of south-central and southwestern Louisiana were inundated with heavy rainfall over much of last week. That certainly could be part of the explanation as to how water was able to get into the station's fuel tank network.
According to a story reported by KPLC Television in Lake Charles LDAF inspectors found water in the 87E10 regular gas and the 89E10 plus fuel being sold at the station. The story said investigators found about 10 inches of water in one of the tanks. However, a vacuum truck was scheduled to pump that water out during the day yesterday.
According to the same KPLC story, the General Manager of Chadeaux's Kevin Pellerin's office received their first complaint about fuel being sold at the station on Friday evening between 4 pm and 5 pm. Gas station personnel investigated the complaints and made the decision to halt fuel sales by 7 pm that night.
From what we understand the station suspended fuel sales of the 87E10 regular gas and the 89E10 plus fuel until the tanks could be resampled and the results indicated that water was no longer present. We understand that Chadeaux's management has reached out to the motorists that were affected by the "bad gas". However, what arrangements or agreements have been reached are not known at this time.
What Should You Do if You Suspect Water in your Fuel Tank?
First of all, the symptoms of contaminated fuel usually manifest in poor performance of your car's engine. You'll notice the motor hesitates and acceleration is not reliable. The vehicle might actually sputter and stall if enough water is in the fuel lines.
The best way to remedy the situation is to drain the fuel tank. Although, that's not always an easy thing to do. This is the best solution. However, there are additives that you can purchase for the sole purpose of removing moisture from your fuel, but if there is a lot of water in the gas this method won't work.
Our advice is to contact a trusted mechanic and have them service the vehicle before more damage can be done. And be mindful of filling up after areas have been inundated with heavy rainfall. Even the best maintained and monitored gas stations can suffer from water in the tanks if conditions warrant, so pay attention.
Also, if you get hungry while you're out on the road, you might want to try fueling yourself with some of our favorite on-the-go snacks.
10 of Buc-ee's Best Snack Options for the Open Road