Joint Base Andrews fuel spill cleanup improves, but concerns remain

A faint petroleum odor still lingered at one monitoring point near Piscataway Creek even as inspectors found better field conditions in the latest check of the Joint Base Andrews spill area. The newest water-sampling results were still pending.

The Maryland Department of the Environment said the leak involved roughly 32,000 gallons of jet fuel released between January and March 2026. The Maryland Department of the Environment said about 10,000 gallons were captured before reaching Piscataway Creek, while the leaking portion of the fuel system was isolated and shut down as Clean Harbors handled cleanup and source investigation. The Maryland Department of the Environment said there is no threat to drinking water because intake pipes are upstream, and it ordered soil investigation, monitoring wells, soil remediation and daily cleanup updates.

The Maryland Department of the Environment said odors and a fuel sheen were first observed near the headwaters of Piscataway Creek on March 23, and that the base did not fully disclose the discharge until April 8. Joint Base Andrews said it notified the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Response Center and MDE on March 23, shut down the fuel distribution system on March 24 and identified the source in one fuel distribution row by March 30. Joint sampling with MDE on April 13 and April 20 showed petroleum constituents and diesel organic levels trending downward.

Joint Base Andrews sits about 8.6 miles from Piscataway Creek, an 18.6-mile tributary of the Potomac River.

U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen pressed for more transparency in May in a letter to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink. The letter said the initial containment was insufficient and warned that rainfall may have helped spread contamination toward Piscataway Creek. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation said the delayed reporting was inexcusable.