Local

No evidence of contamination in well water after massive gas leak, officials say

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Officials with Colonial Pipeline say they have not found any evidence of contamination in well water after a massive gas leak in Huntersville.

Officials updated town leaders on the cleanup progress during the board of commissioners meeting Monday night. The company’s vice president of operations said they have removed the section of pipe that ruptured and are working to determine what caused it.

“We really regret the inconvenience and the concern that this incident has caused to the neighbors in the community,” Angie Kolar, vice president of operation services said. “We’re committed, deeply committed to keeping them informed throughout the process.”

Just 10 days ago, Channel 9 reported it is one of the worst environmental disasters in North Carolina’s history. Three months later, crews are still cleaning it up along Asbury Chapel Road.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality said the gas leak was even worse than they originally thought, spilling several dangerous chemicals into the ground water. Officials said testing shows none of the gas made it into people’s wells.

>> More information on the Colonial Pipeline spill can be found here.

Colonial Pipeline claimed 270,000 gallons of gas spilled into a nature preserve on Aug. 14.

But now, nearly three months later crews reported that they have recovered more than 267,000 gallons and are still removing 3,000 to 5,000 more gallons a day.

The company did not provide a new estimate on how much spilled during their update Monday, but said it has brought in a third party to help with those calculations.

Colonial Pipeline has until Jan. 20 to submit its “Comprehensive Site Assessment”, but many officials are concerned the company won’t meet the deadline.