Decatur Fuel Spill Nearly Mopped Up

Officials have scooped up or vacuumed up much of the more than 8,000 gallons of jet fuel that leaked into the St. Marys River in Adams County Friday.

The fuel was being transported through a pipeline under the water in the river. The pipeline is operated by Buckeye Partners out of Texas.

As a batching line, the pipeline in Decatur often transports a variety of finished fuel products, such as jet fuel and gasoline, said Marty White, a spokesman for Buckeye at the incident command center in Adams County.

The leak occurred Friday, dumping approximately 195 barrels into the waterway, which is flooded due to recent rains.

White said crews will be unable to determine the cause of the leak until the water levels go down, but added that the pipeline was shut down almost immediately once the leak was discovered.

Indiana Department of Environmental Management officials, along with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, local and company officials will continue to monitor the cleanup and watch for any damage to the stream.

Nearly 120 people responded to the spill over the weekend, using booms and vacuum trucks to clean it up.