Fuel Leak at Clearmont Elementary

Post date: Nov 18, 2015 8:51:02 PM

On Tuesday, November 22nd, a fuel leak was discovered on the campus of Clearmont Elementary School.

Yancey County Schools maintenance found that a heating fuel line had ruptured and was seeping into the ground. The line was immediately shut off and administration was notified.

YCS administration immediately contacted local officials of the Health Department, Emergency Management, Building Inspector/Fire Marshal, and Environmental Protection Agency. Several authorities from these offices responded to the site to assist in the proper protocol for this type of situation.

Superintendent Dr. Tony Tipton contacted S.T.A.T. Inc. from Lenoir, NC, who specializes in industrial environment services. Those services include site investigation, risk management, spill containment & control. Representatives from S.T.A.T. were on the Clearmont Elementary School site within two hours of Dr. Tipton’s call and took additional steps to ensure containment of the site.

Because of the projected weather this week and no additional environmental risk, S.T.A.T. is scheduled to return to the school site on Monday, November 23rd to begin the process of removing soil that may contain fuel deposits. Additionally, a geologist has been retained to assist in this process in determining the amount of soil that must be removed.

Dr. Tipton has been assured by all agencies involved that YCS has completed all necessary steps to ensure the safety of the students and community as well as minimize the environmental impact of this event.

“This is just another in a series of system failures that will be costly but necessary to maintain our aging school buildings,” stated Dr. Tipton.

While work is ongoing, a temporary fuel tank has been installed to provide heat to the school.

Dr. Tipton added, “At no time have students been at risk from this spill”.