by Kate Shunney
An environmental contractor for Columbia Gas has completed the cleanup of sediment and iron runoff from a pipeline work area into the C&O Canal west of Hancock under a Special Use Permit from the National Park Service.
TC Energy is required to file monthly construction status report on the new gas pipeline built through Hancock. They submitted an update to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on February 10, saying cleanup work in the canal was done in the middle of December 2025.
Monitoring of that area had been ongoing after the leak of underground drilling fluids affected a local spring along Berm Road. 
According to TC Energy, a Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) representative made “an unannounced inspection of the Project” on November 13, 2025. Their inspection report led to the site being found to be in violation of environmental rules.
“Associated impacts from when the spring discharge was releasing at a higher volume (sediment pollution and iron precipitate) remain in the C&O Canal, and the adjacent floodplain, and have not been authorized,” the report said.
The MDE made a recommendation that the sediment and iron should be removed from the canal.
They also noted that other areas of disturbance hadn’t been fully restored to their previous condition.
On December 9, 2025, Columbia got a permit from the National Park Service to work in the canal. That work was completed on December 18, 2025, according to the construction report.
Berm Road remains closed to public traffic. TC Energy says it will keep watching a local spring to make sure the effects of an inadvertent return of drilling fluids have dissipated before they will approve work to restore the road to public use. The company says they have been working with local residents to navigate the closures for the last several months.
