How did water get into Jersey Shore gas station’s tanks?

OCEAN TOWNSHIP (Monmouth) — Five thousand gallons of gasoline were drained from a Jersey Shore Sunoco station’s tanks on Thursday, after the gas was contaminated with water.

"A significant amount of water" was found in the tanks during testing of the gas that caused at least 13 vehicles to become disabled on Wednesday, according to Ocean Township Police.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection tested the empty tank at the station on Route 35 in Ocean Township to determine how the water got in, but has not yet determined a cause. Spokesman Larry Hajna said that in most cases, a combination of pressure testing and visual inspections are used to determine the integrity of the tanks.

"We believe that this is an isolated incident and the recent heavy rains may have been a contributing factor in this situation," Sunoco spokeswoman Alyson Gomez said in a statement, adding that the station is owned by a dealer.

Freeholder Gerry P. Scharfenberger told New Jersey 101.5 the fuel was trucked away to a facility two hours away for proper disposal. The removal had to be done in two trips because the trucks could only take 3,000 gallons at a time, according to Scharfenberger.

Gomez said customers who suspect they may be experiencing problems with their vehicles related to this issue may contact their customer service team at 1-800-SUNOCO-1.