Alaska diesel spill of 18,000 gallons contained, may be from valve seal failure

A SPILL of about 18,000 gallons (81,830 liters) of diesel fuel at North Slope Borough’s Point Lay tank farm in Alaska has been contained, thought to have been caused by a valve seal failure, said the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) on Friday (Aug 12).

The cause is still under investigation, “and there has been no evidence of any escapement of fuel out of the secondary containment and into the environment - at this time there has been no impact to the surrounding land or wildlife in the area,” ADEC said in a statement.

“A charter flight was scheduled to leave Anchorage this morning with additional spill responders and equipment to assist in the response and recovery of the fuel,” it added.

“The plan is to pump the fuel into portable tanks, separate it from any water that may have mixed with it, and then recycle the fuel.”

The tank farm has enough supply through November. ADEC and the US Coast Guard are monitoring the situation, the department said.

The tank farm, associated with the North Slope Borough’s Public Works Department, stores and dispenses fuel oil for power generation, home and facility heating and equipment operation, as well as diesel and gasoline to retail consumers. REUTERS