Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
The state Department of Health was investigating Wednesday the spill of about 14,700 gallons of diesel fuel at an Aloha Petroleum facility in Hilo Tuesday morning.
No fuel entered waterways or public areas, officials said.
The plant operator reported the fuel was being piped from a barge at Pier 3 when a worker miscalculated the amount of fuel that could be pumped into a storage tank, the Hawaii County Fire Department said.
The excess fuel flowed into two overflow pipes and onto the ground at the Aloha Petroleum bulk storage facility, the Fire Department said.
The company said no fuel spilled into Hilo Harbor, and that the fuel remained in a spill containment area at Aloha Petroleum’s East Terminal at the harbor.
Environmental contractors were immediately sent to begin recovery and cleanup of the ultra-low-sulfur diesel, Aloha Petroleum said in a news release.
The company notified all the regulatory agencies including the Department of Health’s Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response office, which is investigating the spill.
Liz Galvez, Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response on-scene coordinator, said the company "cannot explain how it happened." The fuel flows from barges through pipelines into storage tanks, each with a capacity of 110,040 gallons, she said.
77