On Tuesday, February 11th, 2014, over 100,000 gallons of coal slurry leaked into Fields Creek from Patriot Coal’s Kanawha Eagle Operation, located in eastern Kanawha County. The spill occurred when a valve broke and caused an eight-inch slurry line to rupture. The slurry line sat between the preparation plant and Patriot Coal’s refuse impoundment. The spill started between 2:30 and 5:30 am and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was not called until 7:40 am. Roughly six miles of Fields Creek, which flows into the Kanwaha River, were blackened by the slurry. Testing by the Appalachian Water Watch team showed positive results for crude methylcyclohexane methanol, iron, aluminum, arsenic, lead, selenium and chromium.
