Environmental group considers legal action after another jet fuel spill at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport

Environmental group Flint Riverkeeper says a Memorial Day weekend jet fuel spill from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the latest in a series of fuel releases affecting waterways downstream of the airport.

According to a spokesperson for Flint Riverkeeper, the spill was the third reported fuel spill from the airport this year and the 11th in the past decade. The organization said the exact volume of fuel released has not been disclosed by authorities.

Flint Riverkeeper said its staff documented a fuel sheen and strong odor extending at least 12 miles downstream from the airport. In a recent newsletter, the organization said field staff observed fuel contamination beyond Upper Riverdale Road and evidence of fuel farther downstream near Georgia Highway 54, with cleanup crews working at several locations along the river corridor.

The organization said it is working with the Southern Environmental Law Center to prepare potential legal action related to pollution associated with the airport. Flint Riverkeeper said the effort is focused on a range of pollutants and not solely on jet fuel.

Flint Riverkeeper also mentioned that neither the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the City of Atlanta, nor airport operations officials have publicly identified the exact source or volume of the Memorial Day spill.