Texas Regulators Warn of Water Seeping Into Gas Tanks

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State regulators in Austin are warning Texas drivers about a potential problem caused by all this rain that could cost thousands of dollars in repairs.

They say that rainwater may be seeping into some underground tanks at gas stations.

"If there is a problem with the tank, there could be some seepage of water because of the dramatic amount of rain we've received over the last few weeks," said Bryan Black, spokesman for the Texas Department of Agriculture.

That's what may have happened at one gas station in the 300 block of Legacy Drive in Plano.

The pumps were shut down early this week after at least six customers reported finding water in their gas tanks.

"My fuel pump is trashed, needs to be replaced. We put the new one in, the car still won't start, and then we started taking gas out of the tank and we have spoiled gas here and water," said customer Kurt Treber.

One North Texas mechanic heard from another customer who filled up there in Sunday.

"I pulled out about seven gallons of water-fuel combination, about five gallons of it was water," said Mike Jamieson, of Mike's Mobile Mechanic.

The store manager promises to cover the cost of repairs for his customers and have the tanks cleaned out and replaced with good gas before the pumps are open again.

"So maybe we have some water going to the tank," said store manager Hani Ramzi. "We don't know exactly what happened, but this [is] what I think."

Jamieson, the mechanic, said after all this rain, it could happen anyway.

"If you just recently got gas, there's a good possibility that you've got water in your gas. If you've got water in your gas, your car's not going to start," he said.

"So it could be happening at some stations. It should not be happening. So if it is, we want to stop it," said Black, with the Department of Agriculture.

You can file a complaint with the Texas Department of Agriculture if you suspect a potential problem where you fill up.