Fuel tank in Moore may be leaking

By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

MOORE, Okla. - An old fuel tank that was used as back-up power at a Moore radio station may be leaking underground.

The investigation about the tank was prompted by Moore residents, who called up City Hall about concerns over water safety.

The federal government supplied KOMA in Moore and other radio stations across the country with an underground tank of diesel fuel to ensure there was backup power in case of emergencies.

The fuel tanks were given to flagship radio stations that were part of the Emergency Broadcast System during the Cold War.

"If you were at a station that was a flagship station in the EBS system, then you had to regularly check your generators to make sure they could power up, stay on and power your transmitter," said Matt Skinner, who works for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

But the Moore City Manager Steve Eddy wants to know if KOMA's fuel tank is leaking.

"If they were to be leaking gasoline or diesel for any given period of time then there conceivably could be some concern about contamination of our water or our wells," Eddy said.

Documents at the Corporation Commission show the KOMA tank was shut down in 1993.

"There's no fuel left in the tank at all. The tank was cleaned then filled with sand and capped in concrete," said Skinner.

The Corporation Commission also took sand and water samples after the tank was shut down and they concluded that there was no danger to the Moore water supply.