When did the leak at Freedom Industries begin?

There is evidence that Freedom Industries has leaked in the past, due to reports of a licorice smell in 2010 and earlier. However, according to Paul Ziemkiewicz, Ph.D., the director of the West Virginia Water Research Institute, the leak likely took 15 hours to drain 7,500 gallons. Officials first reported that the leak began at 7am on Thursday January 9, 2014.