Curtis Tate Published

Thousands Of Gallons Of Oil Spill From Storage Tank In Kanawha County

Calm water reflects the fall foliage and clear sky in a scene along the Elk River.
The Elk River is on an EPA list of impaired streams.
Curtis Tate/West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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An oil spill Sunday in Kanawha County does not appear to pose any threat to waterways or wildlife, but officials continue to monitor the situation.

An open valve on a storage tank spilled potentially several thousand gallons of crude oil, the Kanawha County Commission said Monday.

After an odor was reported in the upper Blue Creek area, officials from Kanawha County Emergency Management, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the Cedar Grove Volunteer Fire Department were able to close the valve.

Booms and heavy machinery have been moved in to clean up the spill. Officials have been checking Blue Creek down to the point where it meets the Elk River.

They report no evidence of a sheen or any harm to aquatic life.

The county’s spring trout release was supposed to take place at Clendenin and Blue Creek on Monday, but will now take place on Tuesday as a result of the spill.