Ex-gas station owner ordered to pay for soil contamination

A former gas station owner has been ordered to pay $10,885.70 in forfeitures, court costs and attorneys’ fees for a judgment filed against him last week over soil contamination.

David Mageland, of Viroqua, was charged with contaminating soil with a petroleum product. He will also have to investigate the contamination and take any action necessary to restore the area, according to a news release from the state Department of Justice.

Mageland, who owned a BP gas station in Gays Mills under the company M&W, C Stores LLC, Gays Mills, ran the company until November 2010. He then sold the property to the village for more than $350,000.

When the contamination was found, though, the Department of Natural Resources ordered Mageland to hire a consultant and clean the property if needed. Mageland refused, according to the release, saying that while his insurance company could cover most of the cost, he would still have to pay a $10,000 deductible and would not do so.

The DOJ filed its complaint in July. Mageland did not challenge the DNR’s proposed order. Crawford County Circuit Judge James Czajkowski signed the order Nov. 14, and it was entered Nov. 17, court records show. Follow @eheisigWLJ