Overview
- MDE says about 32,000 gallons leaked from a base refueling system into streams that feed the Potomac after personnel noticed a fuel sheen in Piscataway Creek.
- State delegates sought a briefing and written answers from the Air Force, arguing slow notification hindered Maryland’s response and asserting 20,000 gallons reached soil and water off base.
- Maryland ordered emergency actions that shut the affected system, required daily cleanup updates, and expanded monitoring while contractors collect samples and probe the failure.
- EPA staff said early checks showed containment was holding, but Maryland officials later linked fresh sheens to heavy rain as the base insisted its barriers stayed robust.
- Officials report no threat to drinking-water intakes on the Potomac, and regulators and base leaders remain at odds over containment performance, recovered volumes, and daily reporting.