Similar to communities across the Southeast, some St. Clair County drivers are feeling the effect of the recent Colonial Pipeline gas leak at the pump. The leak is responsible for more than 250,000 gallons of gas being lost.

While some gas prices have increased following the leak, which occurred Sept. 9, some local gas station owners contribute the higher prices to customers panicking and not a supply shortage.

“We have seen a large increase in sales since the leak,” Paresh Patel, owner of Express Food Mart in Pell City said. “It’s been very busy here, and people seem to be panicked about a shortage in gas, which they do not need to do. It has affected our supply a little bit, but not enough to really matter.” 

Melissa House, manager of the Texaco on U.S. 231 in Pell City, said the only change her business has seen is the increase in customers. 

“When something like this happens, people do get very worried about shortages in supply, and that has been happening this week,” House said. “I would just tell people to keep their cars full as normal, and to not panic over this. This is not the 2010 oil spill.”

The pipeline that created the concern runs from Texas to New York and supplies an estimated 40 percent of the region’s gasoline supply. 

However, the main gas line was expected to restart Wednesday with a temporary bypass, according to an Associated Press report. 

The roughly 500-foot (152- meter) section of pipe that will serve as the bypass is now complete, and the company expected that will allow it to restart the main gasoline line, Colonial Pipeline spokesman Steve Baker told The Associated Press Tuesday.

While gas prices did see a surge in some areas, not every station in St. Clair followed that trend. 

“I have not raised my prices here, and I won’t unless someone above me tells I have to — and that hasn’t happened yet,” House said earlier this week. “I don’t see this being a big enough gas loss that it forces us to raise our prices.” 

“I will not be raising my prices because of this,” Patel said. “They will stay the same as they would regardless of the leak.”

According to Gas Buddy, the national average for gasoline is $2.21 per gallon, up 3 cents from last week. The price increase is higher in Alabama, with the price of a gallon up 10 cents from last week for an average cost of $2.04 a gallon.