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Investigators solve mysterious odor issue in Shawnee

SHAWNEE, Kan. — State investigators believe they’ve identified the cause of a gasoline smell surrounding a Shawnee intersection, two months after an investigation into the problem began.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said a leaking gasoline tank at the convenience store likely caused the odor issue.

Investigators are still in the process of determining if there are additional leaks, and drained the tank so a camera can be used to check it more thoroughly.

A spokesperson for Temp Stop said it has had the tanks in question tested twice in the last month to make sure the leak was not coming from its property. The second test showed a minor pressure loss.

“To be safe, we immediately took that tank out of service. Further investigation is still underway to see where the product is coming from. KDHE has drilled several observation wells on our site, and has found nothing more than the usual findings of a station that has been there for 40 years,” Terry Green, Temp Stop Spokesperson, said.

Green pointed out the actual issue is happening a couple hundred feet to the west of the Temp Stop location. There is also a Hy-Vee gas station and five petroleum pipelines running in the same area.

“The pipeline companies are still doing their analysis as well,” Green said.

The KDHE performed additional tests. The department said at this point, gasoline levels in the soil are not high enough to cause any health or safety concerns.

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