And the leaks go on

More pump testing at the floodgates means more oil leaks.

As I last reported in November, the Corps and its contractors (specifically the pump manuafacturer, MWI Corp.) have spilled over 700 gallons of hydraulic oil into the three outfall canals during testing or demonstrations of pumps.

The spills keep coming. On the morning of January 25th, an unnamed MWI employee called in another spill at the 17th Street canal site:

January 25, 2007

Quantity released: 20 gallons
Description of incident: The caller is reporting a release of materials into the 17th Street canal from a water pump due to equipment failure on the pipe.

This is the sixth reported spill at the 17th Street site. Overall, we know of a total of ten spills at all three floodgate sites, nine of which have been reported to the National Response Center, as required by law for any oil spill which produces a sheen on the water or sludge in the soil. A September 15, 2006 spill at the London Avenue canal floodgates, which got reported by the local media the following day, did not get reported to the National Response Center. This is an obvious breach of Federal regulations which has yet to be addressed.