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EPA Oversees Vienna Spill Clean Up

Release Date: 8/31/2001
Contact Information: David Sternberg (215) 814-5548

Contact: David Sternberg (215) 814-5548
Vienna, Va.- Emergency personnel from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are overseeing Virginia Power’s cleanup of an 11,000 gallon mineral oil spill that resulted from a ruptured transformer at the company’s substation at Center Street and John Marshall Drive.

The spill occurred at 3:00 p.m. yesterday, cutting off power to about 6,000 customers for about half an hour. Fast action on the part of the Fairfax County Fire Department and Virginia Power ensured that the oil was contained in dams before it reached the nearby Piney Branch Creek.

A portion of the Washington Old Dominion bike trail has been closed off due to spilled oil, and will remain closed at least until tomorrow morning while workers clean up the oil on the path.

So far approximately 6,000 gallons of the oil have been recovered, and EPA is working with local officials to clean up the remaining 5,000 gallons. The cleanup of the remaining oil is expected to take three days, with longer-term monitoring of the affected area planned over the next month.

EPA is often called in by local authorities to provide technical expertise at spills, explosions and fires. The agency is part of a coordinated effort to protect public health and the environment at such emergencies.