Different Flint, Same Lack Of Oversight

In May, a tanker truck carrying jet fuel hit a post at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, damaging a valve and spilling fuel onto the tarmac which flowed into a storm drain.

According to the The Albany Herald, the accident took place at ramp level at Gate D41, and thankfully there was no aircraft at the gate during that time.

According to a report by the U.S. EPA, the spill was considered a threat for fire and explosion. Though those did not occur, the fuel, which has been connected to drastic health problems if ingested, did reach Sullivan Creek and Georgia’s own Flint River, The Albany Herald reported.

“There was a strong kerosene odor present at the (freeway) overpasses’’ near the airport, the U.S. EPA report said. Countless minnows in the Flint were killed by the contamination.

The contractor originally reported that around 50 gallons of jet fuel had spilled and The Albany Herald contends that was an underestimate.

The spill was later estimated at 4,500 gallons. Atlanta water officials notified residents who use the Flint for drinking water.

The Albany Herald reported that the accident had not been covered or reported by Atlanta’s local media. An airport spokesman also stated that airport officials were initially given incorrect information by the company whose truck spilled the fuel.

Many waterway experts were not aware of the spill until contacted much later by Georgia Health News, The Albany News reported.

Chris Manganiello, policy director of the Georgia River Network, told The Albany News that with many spills such as these, the public is unfortunately the last to know.

For similar stories visit Water Online’s Source Water Contamination Solutions Center.