Some 2,000 gallons of diesel meant for backup generators spilled into the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, on Wednesday, upon overfilling the tanks.
Officials are using oil absorbent materials and skimmers to rid the river of the diesel, which is anticipated to continue into Thursday night. As a result, the active cleanup effort has disrupted local traffic patterns.
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The diesel is contained in the East Harbor Marina in an area of about 100 x 250 yards. It has not impacted the drinking water, according to Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD). Johns Hopkins’s facility in East Baltimore, ordered the diesel delivery that led to the spill.
“On Wednesday, during routine fuel delivery by a third-party vendor, two diesel tanks which supply power for backup generators for our patient care facilities at Johns Hopkins in East Baltimore were accidentally overfilled causing overflow,” a spokesperson told CNN.
Johns Hopkins reported the spill at 11 a.m., estimating the spill amounted to about 200 gallons. Just before 1 p.m., a red sheen from the diesel’s dye could be seen in the harbor. At that point, Baltimore City Hazmat and the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Emergency Response Team got involved, and the incident was reported to the U.S. Coast Guard about an hour later. Just before 7 p.m., Johns Hopkins updated their report to reflect a spill of 2,000 gallons.
“The Coast Guard is overseeing cleanup efforts and is working with Tri-State Bird Rescue to monitor any wildlife impacted,” the Maryland Sector Coast Guard wrote in a statement.
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The Washington Examiner reached Johns Hopkins for comment.
This latest environmental disaster comes over a year since a large cargo ship lost power and struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s support column. The bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River and killed six construction workers who were on the bridge at the time.