Over 30 gallons of generator fuel spilled onto the National Mall following the Freedom 250 event in Washington, DC. The event on May 17 reportedly used a multitude of commercial generators with fuel that later “seeped into underground cisterns that collect rainwater to irrigate the Mall,” at least three sources confirmed to NBC News.
The four cisterns hold 250,000 gallons of water under the National Mall, and a cleanup of the spill is currently underway. Organizers for Freedom 250 blamed the spills on “vandalism.” “Following the Freedom 250 team’s installation of temporary lighting on the National Mall, our equipment has been repeatedly targeted by vandals. The recent fuel leak was the direct result of that tampering,” said Rachel Reisner, spokeswoman for Freedom 250.
