WYOMING COUNTY, W.Va. –The state Department of Environmental Protection responded Friday to a transformer oil spill at an Appalachian Power substation in the Clear Fork area of Wyoming County.
According to a DEP release, around 8 a.m. a transformer at the facility was observed leaking oil that had escaped the concrete containment pad and had entered Reedy Branch of Clear Fork.
DEP officials, upon receiving the report, dispatched inspection staff to the site. Crews were able to capture most of the material, however some of it had migrated beyond containment and into a nearby stream.
Appalachian Power also dispatched environmental contractors onsite who are conducting cleanup operations, including the use of vacuum equipment, additional containment structures, and absorbent materials to recover the oil.
The DEP notified the state Department of Health who has notified public water systems further downstream.
DEP inspection staff are investigating the spill, as well as assessing impacts.