10K Gallons Of Jet Fuel Spill Into GA River

ATLANTA, GA — Federal officials on Thursday say they are still working to clean up after about 10,000 gallons of jet fuel from an Atlanta airport pit hydrant spilled into the Flint River.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday told Patch about 8,000 gallons of fuel had been removed from Flint as of Wednesday.

This comes after the EPA was alerted to the matter Friday. Officials said the spill came from a fuel pit hydrant that was attached to a fuel system pipeline at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The hydrant released about 10,000 gallons of fuel into the airport storm water system and into Flint. Officials from multiple agencies took immediate action to contain and remove the fuel from the river, the EPA said.

A significant amount of the fuel was in the first downstream half-mile of the river, the agency said.

On Thursday, the EPA's worksite was at Riverdale Road, where they said they used "a boat to remove oily material from a large garbage patch that accumulated at the bridge."

Furthermore, officials said they have cleaned up 3,000 gallons of fuel from airport property, 36,000 gallons of petroleum contact water and 10 cubic yards of oil-contaminated debris.

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division provided oversight, and work was set to conclude Thursday.

This is to the dismay of Griffin residents, who complained of the fuel's odor lingering after flowing into the city's water supply, city officials said in a Facebook post.

The City of Griffin initiated a "do not consume" water advisory and shut down one of its pump stations, city officials said.

Federal officials, however, have deemed the water safe for drinking, according to WSB-TV.