PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News is learning more about the response to a leak in Paulding County that had led to a shutdown of the nation’s largest fuel pipeline.
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The line will remain down until at least Friday. But people who live in the area want to know how this is impacting them.
People who live and work near Peg Cole Bridge Trail and Townsend Road in Paulding County have many questions. Dozens of crews are cleaning up and investigating a release from Colonial Pipeline Line 1.
Line 1 carries gasoline from the refineries on the Gulf Coast through the Southeast and up the East Coast.
A spokesperson with Colonial Pipeline tells Channel 2 Action News it was Monday when the landowner, who lives off Peg Cole Bridge Trail called in the possible release.
Crews immediately responded. On Wednesday Colonial Pipeline said they’re working to identify the source of the suspected release.
“Right now there has been nothing that has been picked up as far as with air monitoring, vegetative monitoring, and also as far as water samples that (have) taken place,” Paulding County EMA Director Stephen Dooley told Channel 2′s Candace McCowan.
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As local, state and federal agencies do testing, the pipe will remain closed until at least Friday. Channel 2 Action News asked GasBuddy If this will impact supply.
“It’s kind like you kink a hose: there is still water in the hose, it’s just stopped right where you kink,” said Patrick De Haan with GasBuddy. “Motorists don’t really need to be worried. There’s plenty of gasoline supply. It’s a temporary disruption but there are millions of gallons of gasoline that are still pared just outside of many major cities in storage facilities.”
As for people who live nearby, the county said there’s no need for concern for now.
“Right now there has been nothing that has been picked up on the monitors. That is why we have not gone through conducting any evacuations, and there have been no notifications from the county to the public as far as any kind of concerns because there is nothing that we have right now,” said Dooley.
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