Tap water safe to drink south of Atlanta after airport fuel spill

Areas south of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport said late Friday night that the area’s tap water system is safe to use after a fuel spill at the airport reached the Flint River.

The city of Griffin, which is about 30 miles south of the world’s busiest airport, and Spalding County lifted a “Do Not Consume” water advisory that was issued as a precautionary measure. The advisory was in effect from about 4 p.m. until just after 10 p.m. Friday.

“The Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has lifted the Do Not Consume Water Advisory based on the testing results,” both the city and county said in updates on social media.

The earlier advisory noted that “initial information indicated the spill had not reached the area of Griffin’s water intakes,” but the warning was issued “out of an abundance of caution.” A “Do Not Consume” advisory warns against drinking tap water or using it for cooking, brushing teeth or other uses, even if boiled.

The fear over ecological and resident impacts prompted criticism from the Flint Riverkeeper, a nonprofit that works to maintain the river. The organization said Friday night it is working closely with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to “scope biological impact.”

Gordon Rogers, the riverkeeper and nonprofit’s executive director, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that airport-related spills are not an isolated issue.

“They are continuously having either fuel spills, sewer spills, belching construction debris downstream from their pipes into the river and occasionally de-icing fluid spills,” Rogers said. “There’s a long history of it, and we’ve been trying to work with the airport to address these things for quite a few years now in a very friendly way, and it’s not getting any better.”

He warned that Hartsfield-Jackson is “on notice” that further incidents could prompt legal responses, such as a Clean Water Act lawsuit.

Griffin, the county seat of Spalding County, is the sole water source for the Spalding County Water Authority. The county is home to about 70,000 people, according to the latest U.S. Census estimate, of which about 24,000 live in the city of Griffin.

Around 7:30 a.m. Friday, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division received reports of a strong fuel odor coming from the vicinity of the Atlanta Fire Training Grounds in College Park, according to a release from the agency.

“The initial investigation indicates that the odor may originate from a break in the valves of an above ground storage tank north of Terminal ‘T’ at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport,” the release said, likely referring to Concourse T. “It appeared that the product, Jet A/Kerosene Fuel, escaped containment and entered the Flint River. The amount discharged is still being investigated at this time,” the release says.

The EPD added that “all drinking water intakes below the impacted area have been notified,” but it was unclear if any intakes were impacted.

The responsible party, which was not identified in the EPD release, has secured the source of the fuel and started recovery measures, the EPD said. Both the EPD’s and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Emergency Response Teams are on scene to assist with the cleanup.

It was still an active scene as of Friday evening so information on total impacts was not yet available, the airport said.

“Response and cleanup efforts are underway, and environmental teams are on scene working with airport partners, the appropriate external agencies and neighboring jurisdictions to manage the situation. The Airport will continue to monitor conditions closely and share additional information as it becomes available,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Outside of Griffin and Spalding, other local governments that use the Flint River as part of their water source did not issue any advisories Friday, saying their water was OK to drink.

The Clayton County Water Authority said it was closely monitoring reports of the spill and the presence of fuel in surrounding counties’ water systems, but said its water system has not been affected.