A failed pump control sent more than 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel leaking Saturday from a generator at the Plum Island Wastewater Treatment Plant on James Island, some of it seeping into the surrounding marsh.
Wastewater workers noticed the leak as the sun rose, Charleston Water System spokesman Mike Saia said, and called in reinforcements to begin cleaning the spill.
Contractors began work at 9 a.m. to begin the cleaning process.
Water system employees have documented over 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel missing from the backup generator where the pump control failed, Saia said, but they aren't sure how much of it leaked into the water. They boomed Dill Creek to prevent the fuel from flowing down its path.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control and the Coast Guard were at the scene by the afternoon, and Saia said the system also notified the Environmental Protection Agency.
Even if some of the fuel stayed on land, floodwater and high tides could quickly wash the toxins down to the marshes, said Andrew Wunderley of Charleston Waterkeeper. The marsh's native wildlife could be affected, as well as the fish who rely on those creatures for food.
It's too soon to say what the impacts would look like, Wunderley said.
While smaller fuel spills are common throughout the area, thousands of gallons at once will affect the ecosystem differently than a steady amalgamation of boating fuel accidents.
"It's hard to know exactly what's going to happen because it's so dynamic," Wunderley said. "The marsh in that area doesn't look healthy; it's bare, brown, kind of thin ... but hopefully it'll be quick. Hopefully the cleanup is thorough."
#Breaking 3100 gallons of diesel fuel discharged from an above-ground tank at the Plum Island WWTP in Charleston, this morning. HEPACO vacuum truck is on scene removing fuel from the marsh and Dill Creek is hard boomed. @USCG and @scdhec are on scene. #USCG #D7 #Ready #Relevant pic.twitter.com/Vp3c8BnxsH
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) August 15, 2020
DHEC and the Coast Guard will monitor the cleanup process into next week, DHEC spokeswoman Laura Renwick said.
In the meantime, operations at the system's main wastewater treatment plant haven't been impacted, according to Saia.
As workers continue cleaning, Wunderley hopes the incident will lead the water system to audit their processes to ensure any further risks are mitigated.
"There's quite a bit of contamination like this going into the harbor," Wunderley said. "We need to make sure when you have these things near natural resources that there are secondary containment measures in place."
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