Atrium Health’s Mercy Hospital spilled hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel into a creek — much of which drifted downstream to a neighborhood in Elizabeth.
The hospital spilled approximately 2,000 gallons of “red dye diesel fuel” from an aboveground storage tank. Several hundred gallons were contained on-site, but about 800 entered a tributary of Briar Creek near North Laurel Avenue.
Chaz Hinkle leads the Elizabeth Community Association. He said residents are concerned about the smell, property damage and the lack of communication from Atrium Health. Atrium didn’t reach out to the community after the spill was detected early Sunday morning.
“I don’t know that it’s necessarily the ECA’s job to help Mercy communicate out these problems,” Hinkle said. “That said, we would have been willing to had they reached out to us.”
The community association contacted Atrium Sunday evening to report the spill. A representative said the company would provide additional information in the morning, but residents haven’t heard anything since.
Federal, state and local officials have placed booms and an underflow dam to remove the pollution.
“Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services (CMSWS) responded to a diesel fuel spill reported Sunday, Nov. 8, at Atrium Health’s Mercy Hospital on Vail Avenue in Charlotte,” A county spokesperson said in a written response to WFAE. “Some of the fuel entered the storm drainage system and reached a tributary of Briar Creek. Cleanup efforts are underway as part of a multijurisdictional response involving local agencies and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). CMSWS's role is to ensure mitigation efforts are completed and compliance standards are met. The amount of diesel fuel spilled cannot be confirmed until cleanup efforts are complete.”
County officials said residents should call 311 if they smell or see anything unusual.
“We would advise residents and their pets to stay out of the impacted area out of an abundance of caution,” a county spokesperson wrote.
Atrium Health declined an interview request but provided WFAE with the following written response:
“We are aware of a fuel spill that occurred Saturday night. The spill has been contained, and a professional cleanup team has been on site since the leak was identified. We are working closely with the proper authorities to ensure the affected area is safely and thoroughly cleaned and to assess and minimize any potential impact to the environment and surrounding community. An investigation into the cause is underway. There was no impact to patient care or safety, and no injuries were reported.”
