A diesel fuel leak that forced the city of Galesburg to close Lake Storey to all water access this week stemmed from a generator malfunction in a surplus state property near Carl Sandburg College.
Cathy Kwiatkowski, a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Central Management Services, tells WGIL the diesel leak that was discovered last Thursday stemmed from a generator malfunction in a CMS State of Illinois surplus property at 2100 S. Lake Storey Road. The leak occurred due to a sudden and unforeseeable malfunction of the fuel pump.
“Upon learning of the malfunction, fuel was cut off to the generator and the leak ceased,” Kwiatkowski said in an email response to WGIL.
Kwiatkowski said work is being conducted to assess the scope of the leak, but it is estimated to be relatively small, less than 300 gallons and impacting less than 5% of Lake Storey. She added the faulty generator has been removed and the Illinois Department of Central Management Services is working with remediation experts to address any potential residual issues.
The City of Galesburg announced Wednesday that it was closing Lake Storey to all water access — including boating, swimming, and wading — in the wake of the recent diesel fuel leak near the lake.
The closure was “out of an abundance of caution,” according to a news release co-issued by Galesburg Fire Chief Randy Hovind and Interim Director of Parks and Recreation Don Miles.
Kwiatkowski said remediation efforts are ongoing and expected to be completed within two weeks.
“CMS continues to work in coordination with the IEPA, City of Galesburg and remediation contractors to ensure that this situation is resolved as efficiently and safely as possible,” Kwiatkowski said.
