Reagan National Airport Jet Fuel Spills into Potomac River

Thousands of gallons of jet fuel has spilled into the Potomac River south of Reagan Washington National Airport, according to airport authorities.

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority personnel -- including Airport Operations and MWAA Fire and Rescue -- U.S. Coast Guard, D.C. Department of Energy and Environment, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and D.C. Harbor Patrol are responding to the spill, which took place Thursday night, officials said.

Authorities say the spill amount is an “estimated worst case of 7,500 to 9,000 gallons of Jet A aviation fuel.”

The Airports Authority is directing the unified response to the incident. As of 10 a.m. Friday, the source of the spill is secure, authorities said.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter observed that the fuel was largely contained around the source of the discharge, extending to Four Mile Run and the southern boundary of Reagan National Airport (see map above; click on map to enlarge).

As of 4 p.m. Friday, all recoverable fuel has been removed from storm water overflow drains on airport property, officials said. Absorbent materials have been deployed to collect any remaining fuel.

Cleanup of the site is estimated to be completed by 7:30 a.m. Saturday, according to airport officials.

The spill has not been observed in the main channel of the river, airport officials say. The U.S. Coast Guard has adjusted an initial Safety Zone on the Potomac River to cover an area within a 1,500 yard radius of the emanation point from the airport.

An environmental cleanup team, Miller Environmental, has been contracted by Allied Aviation Fueling, the fuel contractor for the airlines at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, to undertake the cleanup efforts. A timeline has not yet been set for the cleanup effort.

Following consultation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it is believed the environmental impact from the spill will be limited.
The spill has not impacted airport operations.

The Transportation Security Administration has reduced staffing at its facility on the south side of the airport. The reduction is not expected to impact security screening operations at the airport.

The fuel spill came to the attention of airport personnel Thursday at approximately 9:15 p.m. on when they responded to reports of a fuel odor on the south side of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

At 10:25 p.m., responding personnel identified a fuel sheen on the Potomac River adjacent to the location of the initial reports of the odor.

It is believed that fuel from an earlier 2 a.m. spill remained trapped in the airport’s storm water overflow drains and was flushed into the surrounding water following a higher than usual tide. The initial spill was believed to have been contained and cleaned. The Airports Authority and its partners will undertake a full examination of the cause of the initial fuel discharge.

Airport Operations and Airports Authority Fire and Rescue, in coordination with D.C. Harbor Patrol placed barriers in the river to contain the observed spill.