MLG HAS TO RETURN LAND EWR BECAUSE FUEL WAS LEAKING FROM THE MANUAL DEFUELING VALVE AND THE L WING TANK FILL VALVE WHICH WERE NOT CLOSED AFTER GND CREW XFERRED FUEL. FUEL XFEED HAD TO BE USED TO KEEP BOTH ENGS RUNNING.

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AFTER TKOF; R FUEL QUANTITY BEGAN DECREASING AT A RAPID RATE. THE GAUGE TESTED NORMALLY. SIMULTANEOUSLY A PAX RPTED TO THE FLT ATTENDANT THAT FUEL WAS COMING FROM UNDER R WING AREA. I DECLARED AN EMER AND RETURNED TO EWR. POSTFLT INSPECTION REVEALED THE MANUAL DEFUELING VALVE WAS OPEN AND THE CTR AND L WING TANK FILL VALVES WERE ALSO LEFT OPEN. MAINT HAD XFERRED FUEL AFTER THE FO DID THE WALKAROUND. MAINT HAD FORGOTTEN TO CLOSE THE VALVES AND THE RAMP PERSONNEL THAT DID A WALKAROUND PRIOR TO PUSHBACK HAD ALSO MISSED THE OPEN DOORS. THE XFEED VALVE WAS USED INFLT TO SUSTAIN ENG OP. AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG ENSUED. RECOMMEND A LOGBOOK ENTRY BE REQUIRED FOR FUEL XFERS. THE BUDDY SYS (2 FOLKS -- 1 QA) FOR SAFETY OF FLT RELATED ITEMS. THE MAINT MAN WAS DISTR BY OTHER JOB RESPONSIBILITIES ON OTHER GATES SO HE FORGOT TO CLOSE VALVES. INSURE RAMP PERSONNEL GET BETTER TRAINING ON WALKAROUND CHKS. NEXT TIME I'LL PROBABLY GO OUT AND CHK MYSELF OR AT LEAST ASK THE GUY IF HE CLOSED UP AFTER HE RPTS TO ME HE IS FINISHED.