CHELYAN, W.Va. — The state Department of Environmental Protection said Thursday afternoon it’s now sure how long it will take to clean-up thousands of gallons of diesel fuel from Slaughters Creek in eastern Kanawha County and the Kanawha River.
The diesel spilled from a 12,000-gallon storage tank that belongs to a trucking company. The spill appears to have started around 3 a.m. Thursday, the DEP said.
The agency said it wasn’t yet sure how much diesel “actually released and the amount that entered the waterways.”
A team with the DEP is on the scene along with volunteer firefighters from East Bank, Chesapeake and Belle.
According to the DEP, “The trucking company has also mobilized an environmental cleanup contractor to assist with remediation. The primary cleanup methods include maintaining containment booms and using vacuum trucks to recover the spilled material.
“Cleanup operations will continue as necessary to recover the spilled material and address remaining impacts. At this stage, it is too early to provide a definitive timeline for completion. The agency will continue evaluating conditions as response and cleanup operations progress.”
Kanawha County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director C.W. Sigman said the spill likely impacted aquatic life.
“DEP will make sure that’s taken care of along with the contractors,” Sigman said.
Both the DEP and Sigman said the spill would have no impact on public drinking water.
“West Virginia American Water takes theirs out of the Elk (River), St. Albans takes theirs out of the Coal (River),” Sigman said. “There are no other potable water intakes on the Kanawha.”
The DEP added, “The nearest downstream drinking water intake is located in Huntington, approximately 115 stream miles away. Based on the information currently available, WVDEP does not anticipate impacts to that drinking water system. West Virginia American Water is aware of and monitoring the situation, and has precautions in place, should they be needed.
“WVDEP will continue overseeing remediation efforts and investigating the circumstances surrounding the spill to determine whether enforcement action is warranted.”