(Updated at 3:20 p.m.) The Arlington County Fire Department is working to mitigate a chemical odor and sheen on Four Mile Run near Barcroft Park.
The department has been providing updates about the hazmat incident on social media, saying Thursday afternoon that the source was a leaking underground oil tank along Columbia Pike near the Fairfax County border.
“We are working with our neighboring jurisdictions and the State to mitigate the situation,” ACFD said via Twitter. “The HazMat Team has taken steps in @ArlingtonVA County to minimize the effects on the environment.”
In the meantime, ACFD says people and pets should stay away from Four Mile Run downstream of Columbia Pike.
“Please keep all pets out of Four Mile Run until the #HazMat situation can be full mitigated,” the fire department added. The stream runs past the Shirlington dog park, where dog owners frequently let their pups off leash to go for a swim.
More from an Arlington County press release:
Residents and visitors are advised to avoid contact with — and keep their pets out of — Four Mile Run downstream of Columbia Pike for the next 24 to 48 hours.
At 6:29 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, Arlington County Hazmat Crews were dispatched to the 4200 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive for a chemical odor. The Arlington County Fire Department and the Arlington Department of Environmental Services determined that the source originated upstream of Arlington County, in a neighboring jurisdiction. Crews placed boom filtering devices in the water at various locations along Four Mile Run to contain the released product.
Public, pets, should stay out of Four Mile Run
People should not fish in the stream or have any contact with the water until further notice from the County. The advisory to avoid all contact is considered an extra precaution to allow the effect of the discharge to be diminished by natural flushing of the streams. Drinking water is not affected by the incident.
Anyone who has been in Four Mile Run and is experiencing medical symptoms, such as sore throat or eye irritation, should seek medical attention.
NOTE: The public is reminded that stream water can contain microorganisms that can make people sick, whether the stream is located in an urban area or in the middle of a forest. Even after the discharge is naturally flushed from the streams, the County’s normal precautions for safe use of streams apply. You can find information and safety tips on Arlington streams, including information on reporting stream pollution incidents, on the Department of Environmental Service website.
#Alert: Our HazMat Team is investigating a report of a chemical odor in the area of Barcroft Park. We have tracked the odor/sheen in the water upstream. @ArlingtonDES has mapped the piping and found the source to be outside the county. pic.twitter.com/riweJMyWBw
— Arlington Fire (@ArlingtonVaFD) October 31, 2019
#Update: The source of the spill into Four Mile Run was determined to be an underground oil tank in the area of S. Carlin Springs Road and Columbia Pike. A clean up contractor & our #HazMat team are on scene. Use caution in the area as there is a sheen of product on the roadway. pic.twitter.com/vsPO476qXf
— Arlington Fire (@ArlingtonVaFD) October 31, 2019