HOBART | Darlene and Neal Bowen thought the house they bought a year ago in the 2600 block of Cleveland Avenue would be their dream home.

But fuel leaking from underground tanks into their basement has led to mold, illness and frustration for their family.

Their daughter Ann Mourning is worried about the health effects and is concerned that no agency has been able to help.

Mourning said when her parents bought the house, they were unaware of underground fuel tanks on the property.

"They thought this was their dream home," she said.

After living in the house for a few months, they started smelling gas on the property. Mourning said her parents contacted several agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Hobart Fire Department and the city's building inspector.

She said many of the agencies came to the residence to examine the site, but no one has done anything to alleviate the problem.

Mourning said mold now has started growing on the walls of the basement and her parents have become ill because of their living situation. Unfortunately, they can't afford to go anywhere else and continue to live in the house.

"It's very unhealthy," Mourning said.

She said some of the agencies performed tests on the mold, concluding that underground tanks were leaking gas into the home.

She said family members now can't come to the house because the strong odor causes them to get headaches.

"The smell is just awful," Mourning said.

Hobart building inspector Carroll Lewis said he knows about the problem but is limited in the action he can take to remove the tanks because they are located on private property.

He said he did advise the family to notify other agencies such as the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, which could help them with the tanks.

Mourning said her parents contacted those agencies but were told nothing can be done. She said her parents now are seeking legal advice on ways to get the problem solved.

Lewis said it was common in the past for people to bury fuel tanks when they were used to heat a home. Sometimes, when the people found other ways to heat their homes, they would abandon the tanks and wouldn't notify any agencies they were still there.

A representative from Century 21 in Valparaiso, the agency that listed the property, said Realtors weren't aware of the underground tanks, which is why they weren't listed in the property description.

Bob Simmons, Northwest Region deputy director for IDEM, said he also was unaware of the situation.

He said there has been a problem of underground fuel tanks leaking in the region, but it is something that can be remediated.

He urges anyone who may have underground tanks leaking on their property to contact IDEM.