2008 leak sent methanol into Cape Fear River

[unhappycamper]

http://www.fayobserver.com/news/local/article_b2cb4a0a-142e-5071-bc76-83984ad4cd5a.html

2008 leak sent methanol into Cape Fear River
Posted: Monday, January 13, 2014 9:00 pm | Updated: 9:22 am, Tue Jan 14, 2014.
By Michael Futch Staff writer

Last week in West Virginia, a state of emergency was declared for nearly 300,000 residents across nine counties because of a large-scale spill of the chemical 4-methylcyclohexane methanol on a river near the state capital of Charleston.

Six years ago, a significant methanol leak occurred on the outskirts of east Fayetteville, near the banks of the Cape Fear River.

"Thousands of gallons" of methanol reached the river from Hexion Specialty Chemicals on Industrial Drive, according to an initial Environmental Protection Agency National Response Center report filed in November 2008.

But Jamie Kritzer, a spokesman for the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said Monday that those involved in the ongoing cleanup have indicated "that it did not reach surface waters, but it was found to be in the groundwater."