
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 12, 1994                   TAG: 9410120094
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE                                  LENGTH: Short

WYTHEVILLE STILL SEARCHING FOR GAS LEAK

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality wants to hear from people with knowledge of caves, springs or other subsurface features to help track down an elusive odor of gasoline.

A hearing to gather such information is set for 6 p.m. Thursday in the Bland Hall auditorium at Wytheville Community College.

Several areas of the town have experienced strong gasoline odors at various times in the past year, but investigators have been unable to pinpoint any leaks from underground tanks or other sources.

Dan Manweiler, ground-water programs officer with the department, said he was briefed last week on some elaborate geophysical work done in the search and would answer questions about that at Thursday's hearing.

People with underground gas storage tanks also are being invited to the meeting, he said, for any information they might be able to shed. ``I think, in the near future, we ought to be able to identify the problem,'' he said Tuesday.

by CNB