Contractors excavate the properties of neighbors Patrick McComis and John Fenton on Thursday in the Town of Jackson. A petroleum pipeline that broke earlier in the month has contaminated the water of seven water wells in the surrounding area. Credit: Chris Wilson

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Town of Jackson - A growing number of residential wells found to be polluted with gasoline from a July 17 pipeline break and dramatic increases in levels of benzene in the wells prompted state environmental officials Sunday to broaden the search for contaminated groundwater in the town.

As of Sunday afternoon, three more private wells in the Town of Jackson were found to be contaminated with gasoline, bringing the total to seven, said Scott Ferguson, spills coordinator with the state Department of Natural Resources in Milwaukee.

The three latest wells were added to the list this weekend after tests of water samples found that they contained levels of benzene exceeding the federal safe drinking water standard of 5 parts per billion, Ferguson said.

The break in the pipeline occurred in the 1800 block of Western Ave., generally midway between Maple Road and county Highway G.

The pipe is owned by West Shore Pipe Line Co. of Arlington Heights, Ill.

Two of the three latest wells are west of the pipeline break in the 1900 block of Western Ave.

A third is northwest, in the 1800 block of Mill Road.

On Sunday, the DNR pushed its search for polluted wells even farther afield, generally to the southwest, west and northwest of the break. A total of 70 residential wells have been tested at least once, and the investigation now extends north of Mill Road and south of Spring Valley Road, Ferguson said.

Contractors for West Shore started installing water treatment systems at each of the seven polluted wells Saturday, and the work continued Sunday, he said.

In addition, West Shore is providing the seven families with bottled water.

By Monday, a total of 11 private wells are to be equipped with water treatment systems capable of removing gasoline, Ferguson said.

The company agreed to install the systems at four additional wells that have not been found to be contaminated at the request of those property owners.

Representatives of West Shore and the DNR will attend a public informational meeting on the pipeline spill beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Jackson Area Community Center, N165-W20330 Hickory Lane.

An estimated 54,600 gallons of gasoline spilled out of the break in the pipeline around one-third mile north of Western Ave. on July 17, according to West Shore.

Though the break was repaired within a few days, contractors have spent the last week digging up contaminated soil and trucking it off to a landfill for disposal.

The break occurred on the John and Susan Fenton property, known as Sweet Dreams farm. Excavation of tainted soil on the Fenton farm and the adjacent Patrick and Sally McComis property was completed Saturday.

The Fenton and McComis wells are among those contaminated with gasoline.

A wide pit straddling the two property lines was being filled Sunday with clean soil, Ferguson said.

Results of testing of water samples collected Friday were released by Ferguson on Sunday.

The McComis well, just a few hundred feet west of the break, was found to contain 2,730 parts per billion of benzene in the water as of Friday - 546 times the safe drinking water standard.

That was a dramatic jump up from the 361 ppb of benzene found in a sample collected Thursday from the McComis well.

A well serving a garage in the 1800 block of Mill Road, northwest of the break, was confirmed to contain 11,700 parts per billion of benzene - 2,340 times the safe standard.

A well serving a residence at a separate property west of the garage in the 1800 block of Mill Road contains 1,670 parts per billion, Ferguson said.

With so few test results, it is too early to confirm that the bulk of spilled gasoline flowing away from the break is moving west and northwest, though the highest levels of contamination were found in those directions, Ferguson said.