Oil spill affects Holmes Run

The diesel fuel leaked from one of the three underground tanks serving the existing buildings that had been used for Mobil Exxon’s headquarters, Chapman said. The tanks feed the emergency generators that serve as backup for the building’s heating system.

Inova purchased the property in 2015 and is in the process of converting the buildings to the Inova Center for Personalized Health, so the tanks are still in use.

The tanks have been shut down as the oil spill is being investigated, Chapman says. Booms and absorbent pads are in place to contain the fuel and prevent more oil from “migrating off the property.”

The 3,700 gallons is the amount of oil that had leaked out and been trapped underground, Chapman said. “A small percentage of that got out,” as the rain pushed some of it to the surface and it flowed across the ground into a drainage ditch. “We’re not downplaying the impact,” he said, but only “a minor amount got into the creek.”

Investigators are working to determine where in the underground piping system the leak occurred, the extent of the fuel loss, and how far it’s gone.

All large buildings have similar systems for running emergency generators, Chapman said, and they’re particularly critical for medical facilities. In the current situation, the leak was discovered during a regular testing procedure, when a discrepancy in the volume of oil in the tank was found compared to the previous test.