Authorities in Robbinsdale are working to contain oil that leaked from a gas station Friday afternoon and was washed by rain into the city's storm sewer system.
The Robbinsdale Fire Department said it responded to reports of an oil spill at Sipe & Gray Oil at 4200 W. Broadway. Firefighters arrived around 4:45 p.m. and found that an oil container behind the building was leaking.
Firefighters contained the spill at first, but unexpected heavy rain washed some of the oil into a storm sewer drain despite help from the Robbinsdale Public Works Department.
That drain leads to South Twin Lake.
Authorities say containment and abatement will continue at the lake and at the site of the spill with help from state officials and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In an update Saturday afternoon, the Robbinsdale Fire Department said the source of the leak was secure, and that a light sheen of oil visible on South Twin Lake was expected to biodegrade within a few days.
