BLUEFIELD, Va. — More than 1,147 gallons of diesel spilled into the Bluestone River during the Fourth of July weekend, according to new estimates from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
The spill that occurred at Ammar’s Inc. off of College Avenue was originally estimated at only 200 gallons. However, the estimates have since been revised to show a much larger release, John Surber, a petroleum remediation geologist with the DEQ, said.
“That number kind of fluctuated around a little,” Surber said. “It was more product lost. Probably a good percentage of it did hit the stream. It was probably a catastrophic release meaning more may have seeped out over time.”
Surber said such a larger spill is more difficult to clean up and takes longer to dissipate. However, officials who continue to monitor the stream on a daily basis are seeing improving conditions, Surber said.
“The reports I’m getting today are a marked improvement,” Surber said. “Because what I’m hearing today is there is no sheen observed on that stream.”
Surber said crews with Marshall Miller and Associates in Bluefield, Va., are continuing with the stream cleanup.
“Marshall Miller is the consulting firm working on this,” Surber said. “I think they’ve been monitoring daily, including over the weekend. Without getting into all of the particulars, they’ve taken some measures on site to try to flush out any remaining petroleum.”
Surber said the cleanup remains a multiple agency effort.
“Obviously, the DEQ is concerned about cleaning up petroleum,” Surber said. “Maybe cleaning the ducks is sort of outside of our realm. I believe the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is on that end. It’s my understanding those ducks were cleaned. As to how their current health is, I would have to refer you over to the VDGIF.”
Surber said officials are hopeful that no additional fish kills or distressed animals will be located.
“I’m really optimistic at this point in the game that the sheen is really cleaned out,” he said. “I’m not anticipating any additional impacts from this release. But Marshall Miller will be monitoring it for a while longer to make sure.”
– Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com
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