An oil leak has contaminated the Dulev river, which supplies the main water source for eastern Moscow, the Klyazma. The source of the leak was a reservoir just outside Moscow, which is situated on the territory of Space corporation "Energia."On the evening of January 5, the resevoir started leaking into the Dulev. About 540 cubic meters of oil escaped, dumping some 300 cubic meters into the water.

The conservation group WWF has accused the authorities of not having taken ap­propriate counter-measures early enough and playing down the seriousness of the situation. "Local authorities in the first days after the accident did not take any action and lost a lot of time," WWF said in a statement. The group said that only the presence of ice prevented oil seeping deep into the river.

The Russian Meteorological Center pronounced the situation as satisfactory Friday, with chemical analysis of samples from the river showing a satisfactory level of oxygen in the water.

"The oil content ranged between 1 and 3 maximum allowable concentrations, which is consistent with the average long-term levels," the center told Interfax.

The emergencies ministry announced Tuesday that about 281 tons of oil had been collected since work started.

Vladimir Stepanov, Lieute­nant-General of the central Regional Center of the Mi­nistry of Emergencies, said that the clean up operation should be completed within three days. 

By Tom Washington