Colonial Pipeline Company Donates Land After Major Fuel Spill in NC

Huntersville: So, you know that big fuel spill that happened a while back? Well, Colonial Pipeline is stepping up. They’re donating 30 acres of land to Mecklenburg County. This comes after one of the largest fuel spills in U.S. history.

The county commissioners are set to approve the deal soon. It’s a move to help make amends for the spill that was discovered by two teens back in 2020. They were riding their ATVs in the Oehler Nature Preserve when they caught a whiff of gasoline and found the spill.

At first, they thought it was just 63,000 gallons, but it turned out to be a whopping 2 million gallons! The company said it was due to some faulty equipment. And get this—the leak detection system didn’t even catch it. That same system has missed spills in other states too.

Colonial Pipeline has a bit of a history with spills. They faced criminal negligence charges back in 1999 for another major spill in South Carolina. They ended up paying hefty fines then.

Now, this new land donation will help expand the nature preserve. It’s a step in the right direction, don’t you think?