DAYTON — There’s no way to know how many vehicles were damaged after a Speedway supplier delivered unleaded gasoline tainted with diesel fuel to four area gas stations.
But Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith said it highlights the need for Ohio to implement a fuel quality testing program.
News Center 7's Monica Castro reports that while Keith's office inspects the pumps, they are not authorized to test for quality of gas.
Shaun Demsmarais of Enon bought contaminated gas from the Speedway on North Xenia Road in Enon.
“It's frustrating knowing we do everything to take care of our stuff and a mistake that somebody else made could cost up to $4-, $5- or $6,000,” he said.
>> RELATED: Customers find diesel in gas tanks after visiting Enon station; some face hefty damages
In addition to that station, Speedway said a supplier delivered the tainted gas to its stations on Arlington Road in Brookville, Miller Lane in Butler Twp. and Dayton Pike in Germantown.
"These kinds of things can cost a lot of damage to someone's car really quickly,"
Keith said.
Ohio is one of four states that does not have a fuel testing program.
“We’ve got inspectors in the field already. They are going to these stations. They’re checking these pumps. This would just be an added thing they would do. We already have the personnel in place,” he said.
The auditor’s office inspects about 5,000 gas pumps a year in Montgomery County, but they don’t test gas.
>> RELATED: 4 Speedway stations received regular gas possibly contaminated with diesel
“The only thing that auditors are authorized to do under the state laws is to test if (the pump is) working properly,” he said.
While Keith said he believes the error at the Speedway stations was a human error, he wants this to get the wheels turning on a fuel testing program.
“Hopefully things like this will serve as an impetus to try and get something done,” he said.
Anyone who believes he or she bought bad gas is asked to report it to the auditor’s office in the county the gas was purchased. In Clark County, call 937-521-1860, and in Montgomery County, call 937-225-4326.