Mittal plant leaks 500 gallons of oil into river

Mittal plant leaks 500 gallons of oil into river

A defective pump at a Mittal steel plant spilled nearly 500 gallons of oil into the Cuyahoga River near Cleveland, Ohio Sunday. Company spokesperson Dave Allen said the leak was found early Sunday morning in a pump which sends oil from a tank to a blast furnace. The workers turned the pipe off, but the damage had already been done – 500 gallons of oil had gushed into the plant and nearby river. Officials from the Coast Guard and the Ohio Environmental Protection have been notified, and the clean up effort is underway. The company used floating devices to contain the oil on the water, and will use vacuum trucks to remove the oil in a process which could take up to several days, according to Mr. Allen.