"Peter Dohm" wrote in message .. .



According to annecdotes that I heard many years ago, service station gas
tanks have always contained some water--but since the gasolene is lighter,
the water settled to the bottom, so they were able to draw straight gasolene
from a floating pickup. According to those annecdotes, there could have
been as much as a couple of feet on water below the gasolene before it was
drawn of as part of periodic maintenance, with the result that the apparatus
were designed to shut off with a considerable level of liquid remaining in
the tanks--in order to avoid pumping water.

At this time, I have no reliable means to verify the the original story, nor
whether service stations now have sealed tanks with evaporative controls and
driers similar to the vehicles they service--which I doubt.

However, one obvious possibility is as droll as it is annoying.

Peter


It seems to me that if there were a considerable amount of water in the gasoline tanks, and those tanks were filled with
alcohol laced gasoline, then the effect would be the same as the 'water to the line test'; in other words the alcohol
would be drawn from the gasohol mix and the user would have fuel that does not satisfy the octane ratings as posted on
the pump. The bonus would maybe result in gasoline being pumped that contained less alcohol than the supplier
intended...