Fuel spill at Atlanta's airport contaminates Flint River, raising concerns over water safety and transparency
A fuel spill at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is contaminating a nearby river and sparking outcry from environmental advocates and residents, who say airport officials aren't doing enough to keep the waterway clean.
The spill, which happened on Friday, is still being quietly cleaned up. So far, the airport has not disclosed how the incident occurred or how much fuel was released.
What happens on the surface at the world's busiest airport can have a major impact on the water below. The Flint River — whose headwaters begin in East Point as a small stream — flows through pipes under the airport and emerges as a larger stream on the south side of the airfield.
Environmental cleanup crews have been working at the site, but a visible sheen of petroleum contamination can still be seen on the Flint River.
"There is clearly a lot of fuel in the Flint River right now," reported CBS News Atlanta's Nick Callaway, standing on a bridge above the river. "The air here is thick with the smell of kerosene or jet fuel."
Gordon Rogers, the Flint Riverkeeper, says the airport and Atlanta city officials have been unusually tight-lipped about the spill. "The longer this goes, the more concerned we are about the magnitude of it. We don't know its duration and we don't know its volume," Rogers said.
Downstream, the Flint River winds through rural Georgia and is the primary source of drinking water for residents of Spalding County.
On Friday, Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for Spalding County's water supply, stating that "a significant release of fuel occurred at or near the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport."
The city of Griffin, which relies on the Flint for water, briefly issued a "do not consume" advisory. That order has since been lifted. However, Rogers says there are isolated reports of water smelling like kerosene, both in the river and from at least one tap in the Griffin area. "We're investigating that. I hope the city is," he said.
CBS News Atlanta reached out to officials at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for comment, but has not yet received a response.
"It is time for them to quit talking about doing a good job and do a good job," Rogers said.
Fuel spills near the airport are not new. In 2021, hundreds of gallons of jet fuel spilled into the Flint. The Riverkeeper group regularly holds clean-ups on and near airport property, often finding tires, litter, sewage, and more.
"This latest spill that happened Friday forces us to give even more scrutiny," Rogers said. "We are strongly, at this point, considering legal action. It's just gotten to be too much."
CBS News Atlanta also reached out to Mayor Andre Dickens for comment. His office referred all questions back to the airport.