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Palo Alto Fire Department officials assessed environmental damage this week after more than 50 gallons of diesel fuel spilled out a storage tank at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System last Friday.
According to a statement that the city issued Wednesday, the spill entailed between 50 and 100 gallons of fuel. The spill occurred next to the generator room of the health center’s campus at 3801 Miranda Ave. This was close the location of the May 2021 diesel spill in which fuel was discharged into Matadero Creek.
That spill prompted the city to install booms and remove contaminated soil along the creek in what staff called the “largest hazardous material release to surface waters that City staff have ever managed.”
In February, the city announced that its remediation efforts at Matadero Creek were almost complete and was working to improve communication with the VA and to develop a strategy to prevent or minimize future incidents.
While the city is still investigating the cause of last Friday’s spill and the exact amount of diesel that spilled out, the announcement stated that all adjacent storm drains were immediately covered and that Matadero Creek was not affected by the spill.
As of Wednesday, the cleanup efforts were complete. This included removal of about a 5-gallon bucket load of soil, which is being analyzed. While the results aren’t expected until next week, the Palo Alto Fire Department’s hazmat investigators and the VA are “confident that the creek will not be impacted by the incident,” according to the city’s announcement.
The city plans to issue more updates about the incident as the sampling results come in and more information becomes available. Depending on the results, more cleanup may be required, according to the announcement.
