A Texas company spilled more than 8,000 gallons of jet fuel into Indiana's St. Mary's River last week.
According to Reuters, Houston-based Buckeye Partners, one of the primary distributors of petroleum in the East and Midwest, admitted they closed one of their pipelines immediately after discovering the pressure problem on Friday night that resulted in the spill.
The jet fuel was dumped into the St. Mary's River in the northeastern city of Decatur. In 2010, the town's population was estimated at 9,405, with 4,011 households and 2,511 families living in the area, which spans 5.79 square miles.
Local officials revealed that booms—temporary floating barriers used to contain oil spills—were dispatched into the river shortly after the incident to reduce the damage to the shoreline and to make recovery easier. Authorities are currently attempting to vacuum the oil off the water's surface, reported The Associated Press.
Decatur Mayor Kenneth L. Meyer told the news site that the cleanup was likely to take weeks to complete.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that it was monitoring the air and water quality in the nearby community to minimalize harm to citizens.
This is a developing story. Newsweek has reached out to Buckeye Partners and Decatur city officials for comment and will update as more details are made available to us.
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