On Sunday, February 4, Asheville area residents contacted the local fire department and reported a petroleum odor and sheen on the French Broad River. Fire department personnel traced the spill upriver to the Mountain Energy Home Heat facility. Sometime over the weekend, Number 2 Fuel Oil began leaking from the bottom of a 20,000-gallon horizontal AST. The fuel traveled overland, left secondary containment through an open dike drainage valve and entered the French Broad River through the storm water drainage system. The dike drainage valve was inoperable and unable to be closed. EPA mobilized an FOSC and Superfund Technical Assessment Response Team (START) contractors to the site to assist with the response. At the time of the EPA Federal On-Scene Coordinator's (FOSC) arrival, oil was observed entering the river at the storm water outfall and oil sheening was observed along the right descending bank of the French Broad River. NC Division of Water has made downstream notifications and the EPA Phone Duty officer has contacted DOI.
