MISHAWAKA — A test of the city’s will to protect its new $40 million Juday Creek water wellfield from future chances of groundwater contamination is being played out with a developer’s request to build a gasoline station at Fir and Douglas roads.

SEC Investments LLC is asking the city to rezone 2.3 acres at the southeast corner of Fir and Douglas roads from C-1 general commercial to C-10 filling station commercial for a Casey’s convenience store and gasoline station.

The problem: The land is within a zone the city deems essential to thwart the risks of potential contamination of groundwater that could make its way to the city’s water wells off of Veterans Parkway near the Juday Creek Golf Course.

Development questions: Are there enough protections to keep New Carlisle water clean as industries grow?

Landowners, developers and the city explained their stances Thursday night before the Common Council in an informational meeting. The rezoning petition, however, is set to have its second reading, public hearing and vote at Monday night’s council meeting. The council will meet at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, 100 Lincoln Way W.

What is ‘One year time and travel?’

Much of Thursday night’s discussion involved a map the city has produced that shows an area officials believe it wants to protect from allowing any possible risks of groundwater contamination. Called the “One year time and travel,” it shows the distance from the new wellfield where a molecule of water-contaminant can travel in a year before reaching the well, thus contaminating the city’s source of water.

In the city planning department’s analysis of the petition for the gas station, officials said the land for rezoning falls in that area.

But Stephen Studer, attorney representing the Casey’s request, said there is a Family Express convenience store and gasoline station on the northwest corner of Fir and Douglas roads. That project was approved in 2015, several months before the city entered into an agreement to purchase the Juday Creek Golf Course land for the new wellfield in 2016.

He said both representatives for the land and Casey’s were unaware the land in question was in a wellhead protection area.

To ally concerns over monitoring the water, Studer said Casey’s was proposing to have two wells put in to check the groundwater conditions between the new development, the wellfield and even the Family Express.

Those wells could be tested and monitored as the city would see fit, he said.

Meanwhile, Richard McMahon, senior site development manager for Casey’s, detailed the company’s many methods, monitoring devices, the design and technology of the underground tanks, and the local and corporate monitoring of tanks for leakage.

He said the latest tank construction has a double-wall design with monitors within the two walls to detect moisture if it leaks.

McMahon said Casey’s, which has 2,500 store-stations in 16 states, has a monitoring station at its corporate headquarters near Des Moines, Iowa.

But Ken Prince, director of planning and community development, reiterated the city’s stance that it wishes to protect the new wellfield from any risks of groundwater contamination.

He acknowledged the Family Express station was planned before the wellfield project got going. He credited Casey’s for its efforts to serve as a reputable operator.

“We just had an entire presentation about what they do to mitigate risk and, yes, they do wonderful things,” Prince said. “But I can also tell you that our wellfield off of 12th Street was shut down (in 2012) because of a leaking tank.

“And I understand that technology has greatly improved since that point in time, but petroleum still represents a risk.”

Prince said the Plan Commission, the Mishawaka Utilities water division manager and the administration oppose the rezoning petition.

“And it’s not that we’re opposed to Casey’s,” he said. “We just want them to find another site.”

Email Tribune staff writer Greg Swiercz at gswiercz@sbtinfo.com

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Casey’s seeks rezoning for gas station near city water wellfield