As many as 500 gallons of diesel fuel poured into the Washington Channel Thursday, but it was quickly contained, D.C. fire department officials said.
The fuel was a portion of the 900 gallons that spilled from an overflowing tank on the roof of the U.S. General Services Administration’s central heating and cooling plant on 13th and C streets SW, said Mike McGill, a GSA spokesman.
The region’s drinking water was not contaminated, though wildlife in the area was affected. Dead fish could be seen floating in an oil slick around Fisherman’s Wharf.
The spill was discovered around 10 a.m. Thursday after the diesel had flowed from the rooftop to city storm drains and into the channel, said D.C. Fire Department spokesman Alan Etter.
By 4 p.m. city emergency workers and the U.S. Coast Guard contained the spill in a 100-by-200-yard area, Etter said.
The rooftop tank overflowed after a pump pushing the fuel from an underground tank failed to automatically shut off once the rooftop tank was full, McGill said.
Several employees in the heating plant complained of the smell and were sent home, McGill said. People with breathing problems were told to stay away from the spill.
A contractor is at the scene and should have the spill cleaned up by this afternoon, McGill said.
GSA, the federal government’sleasing arm, will pick up the tab, but McGill said he was uncertain of the cost.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Channel facts
» The Washington Channel runs parallel to the Potomac River
» It is three miles long
» It runs from the Tidal Basin to the Anacostia River near Hains Point
» The channel depth ranges from 20 to 27 feet
» It is home to the Washington Marina and Maine Avenue Fish Market
