Oil was discovered seeping from the Mirant power plant's outflow pipe Sunday night. The Alexandria Fire Department responded to the site following a call from a Marina Towers resident.
"When we got there, the oil slick was approximately one-half mile long and about 50 feet wide," said Jane Malik, fire department public information officer. "Our hazmat team and Boat 204 placed a 1,700-foot boom in the water and then traced the leak back to the power plant."
Steven Arabia, director, Mirant External Affairs, verified that the leakage came from a floor drain in the plant used to collect oily water. The oil is skimmed off by a pump, and clean water is returned to the river. "Unfortunately, someone ran the pump too long and it pumped unclean water into the river," Arabia explained.
"This was a case of human error. Luckily, less than one-quarter acre of river water was affected. We do not plan to use the drain again until the proper physical repairs are made and operating procedures have been adjusted," Arabia said.
"This was not an oil leak. There were no fractured pipes or oil lines. We have been working with the fire department to clean this up. We will also be cleaning all the river debris in that area so that the release pipes are free," Arabia said.
ACCORDING TO Malik the amount of oil that reached the river was less than 25 gallons. Mirant immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard, Arabia noted.
Damage assessment is ongoing, but there appears to be no environmental damage.