MITCHELLVILLE, Md. — Numerous driver complaints of water-contaminated gasoline resulted in a brief shutdown of a gas station in Mitchellville, Maryland Friday by the Field Enforcement Bureau of the Maryland Comptroller’s office.
The pumps were turned off at the APlus Sunoco gas station at 12224 Central Avenue in Mitchellville as a state inspector drew samples from the station’s underground storage tanks and pumps.
Motorist Daron Watson told WUSA9 that his car died shortly after he filled up at the station on Aug. 9. Watson said mechanics discovered a large volume of water in his fuel system and the repair cost more than $1,300. He said he reported the issue to state regulators.
Another motorist provided WUSA9 with video of mechanics pumping buckets of water out of her fuel tank and fuel filter system. The driver, who did not want her name published, said repairs to her vehicle are now over $2,200.
Both motorists said that a representative for Sunoco has taken their claims and has promised reimbursement from the company for repairs.
A worker at the gas station said the company reacted after angry motorists complained starting Aug. 9. The worker said the company had already shut down pumps and cleaned out the affected underground storage tanks before refilling them and reopening for business. The employee also said multiple samples taken in the wake of the incident showed no more water contamination.
The delivery of a contaminated truckload on Aug. 9 was to blame, according to the employee.
The station was open for business and selling fuel from all its pumps Friday, until the state shut down was ordered at about 1:30 p.m.
“A motor fuel 'Stop Sale Order' will be issued for the prior contaminated fuel,” the Comptroller of Maryland’s office reported to WUSA9 in an email. “Motor fuel samples of the newly delivered fuel will be collected and analyzed to determine if the fuel meets the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) established fuel quality specifications. Once the fuel is determined to meet ASTM specifications, the retailer will be released from the stop sale order and permitted to resume sales."
By 4 p.m. results from the gas testing had been returned, and the station was allowed to reopen.
Sunoco's media representative, Daniel Alexis, sent a statement to WUSA9 saying they were responding to the situation, and providing guidance for customers affected.
"We are aware of the issue and have worked closely with our operating dealer and local and state authorities to rectify this situation as quickly as possible. As a result of the reported issue, the fuel pumps at this station went through extensive testing and tank cleansing procedures last week to ensure the fuel quality meets and exceeds our specifications. Once the testing was complete, the fuel pumps were reopened as of Tuesday, August 15th and have been operating normally since that time. Additional tests were taken [Friday] at the site for further assurance that the fuel and fuel pumps are operating as expected ... We are responding to all customers who have reached out about this issue, and customers who suspect they may be experiencing problems with their vehicles related to this issue may contact our customer service team at 1-800-SUNOCO-1.
State authorities do not know how many motorists have been affected or if other stations may have also received contaminated fuel.
The Comptroller’s office said an active investigation is underway.