HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers believes they have been able to contain and remove all oil in R.D. Bailey Lake which was released at a power substation during the winter.
“Right now our cleanup efforts at the lake have been completed and we are at summer pool. We’re leaving those containment booms above the Guyandotte Point boat ramp in place as a safety net, just in case any additional contaminants do come downstream,” said Anna Marie Ward, Spokesperson for the Huntington District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The spill source was an Appalachian Power substation on Clear Fork in Wyoming County. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection reported the spill on January 23rd. 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 believed they had the spill contained using booms and absorbent pads.
However, the material leaked into Clear Fork and was again seemingly contained and in the process of being removed when a severe cold snap occurred in February. The temperatures caused heavy ice to form on the creek. Large ice jams caused the booms to break and the oil flowed further downstream into the Guyandotte River and eventually into the lake.
“Our team on the ground is continuing to monitor and maintain those floating boom systems for a little while longer just as a safety precaution,” Ward added. “We have not seen any kind of widespread fish kill from this fortunately.”