Leak of gasoline detected Monday. Still a strong odor of gas in wooded area by shopping center on multiplex drive pic.twitter.com/JGmLQQFvrE
— John Aaron (@JohnAaronWTOP) September 24, 2015Chipotle, bonefish grill remain closed. Hope to reopen in day or two. Sweetwater tavern closed but reopened pic.twitter.com/lX6sWELQWA
— John Aaron (@JohnAaronWTOP) September 24, 2015Firefighters have mobile command center set up; police, EPA, coast guard (assisting EPA) on scene pic.twitter.com/yzuDbdxXFZ
— John Aaron (@JohnAaronWTOP) September 24, 2015
WASHINGTON — The cleanup process is ongoing in Centreville after a leaking pipeline dumped thousands of gallons of gasoline into a drainage area.
The leak, which originated near the intersection of Route 28 and New Braddock Road and was discovered Monday, has since been stopped, according to Bill Berry of Colonial Pipeline Company, which operates the pipeline. However, gasoline that made it into the drainage area has led to precautions at a nearby shopping center.
Fairfax County Fire and Rescue has set up a mobile command center in the parking lot, where a strong smell of gasoline remained days after the leak started. Contractors are working to flush out and vacuum up the spilled fuel from a wooded area next to the shopping center around Multiplex Drive.
The leak has forced the temporary closure of a Bonefish Grill and a Chipotle. Sweetwater Tavern closed but has since reopened.
The Environmental Protection Agency says more than 3,200 gallons of gasoline have been recovered.
The large, 32-inch pipeline can transport multiple types of fuel and was carrying gasoline from North Carolina to the Baltimore area at the time of the leak, according to Berry.
He says there have been no injuries or illnesses as a result, and workers will be testing air quality and taking soil samples to determine the environmental impact of the spill. Workers from the EPA have been at the scene as well. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the leak.
