Associated Press Published

Valve Failure Causes Oil Spill at W.Va. Facility

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  State officials say 22,000 gallons of compressor station process water and used oil leaked from a Nitro industrial waste-handling facility.

Tom Aluise, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, says officials at Spirit Services told the state that valves on two tanks failed, causing the leak.

The Charleston Gazette reports officials received reports of an explosion at the facility, but there was no evidence of a fire.

DEP communications director Kelley Gillenwater says the company has 14 storage tanks at the site. DEP officials could not find any record of agency inspections at the site.

The Spirit Services facility is permitted by DEP through a Clean Water Act general permit. The company’s permit was set to expire in March, but DEP extended it through December.