Heating Oil Spill at Old Faithful Lodge

Date: August 29, 2006
Contact: Nash, [phone]
Contact: Vallie, [phone]

Efforts are underway to clean up a heating oil spill at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge in Yellowstone National Park.

Pumps consolidating heating oil from two underground tanks into a third tank kept running after the third tank reached capacity. This caused an estimated 700 to 750 gallons of heating oil to spill onto the ground near a loading dock behind the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. 

The pumps were immediately shut down once the spill was discovered early Tuesday morning. The spill was contained to an area five feet in diameter. All appropriate authorities including the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality have been notified.

The heating oil spill is not near any thermal features. It is not considered a threat to the groundwater in the Old Faithful area.  The spill poses no threat to visitors or employees. Clean-up experts have been called in to deal with the effects of the spill. The cause is under investigation.