On the morning of April 7, 2002, the Piney Point Oil Pipeline system, which was owned by the Potomac Electric power Company, experienced a pope failure at the Chalk Point Generating Station in southeastern Prince George's Country, Maryland. The release was not discovered and addressed by the contract operating company, Support Terminal Services, Inc. until the late afternoon. Approximately 140,400 gallons of fuel oil were released into the surrounding wetlands and Swanson Creek and, subsequently, the Patuxent River as a result of the accident. No injuries were caused by the accident, which cost approximately $71 million for environmental response and clean-up operations.