AN A319 EXPERIENCED A FUEL SPILL AT THE GATE.

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IR 2 FAULT DISPLAYED ON UPPER ECAM DURING INITIAL COCKPIT PREPARATION. I NOTIFIED THE ZZZ LINE MAINT. MAINT EVENTUALLY DECIDED TO REPLACE THE FAULTY IR2. WHEN LINE MECH FINISHED THE JOB; HE CAME TO COCKPIT TO DO A CAT III AUTOLAND TEST. HE SAID THAT WE WOULD BE READY FOR DEP AFTER THE TEST. I FINISHED CAPT'S COCKPIT PREPARATION AFTER RECEIVING THIS INFO. THIS AIRPLANE'S AUTO FUEL SYS WAS INOP. SO I CONFIGURED THE FUEL PANEL ACCORDING TO OPS PLACARD. WE HAD TOTAL OF 29130 LBS OF GAS ON BOARD. L MAIN HAD 13830 LBS; R MAIN 13930 LBS AND CTR HAD 1370 LBS ACCORDING TO FUEL SHEET. OPS PLACARD STATED: IF CTR TANK IS NOT EMPTY; BEFORE ENG START 'A' FUEL MODE SELECT 'MANUAL.' 3 MINS AFTER START 'A' CTR TANK PUMP 1 AND 2 'OFF.' SINCE WE HAD FUEL IN CTR TANK; I CONFIGURED THE FUEL PANEL AS ALL 6 FUEL PUMPS ON AND FUEL MODE SELECT 'MANUAL.' HOWEVER; THE RAMP PEOPLE CAME TO COCKPIT AND TOLD US THAT WE WERE LEAKING FUEL FROM THE R WING. I WENT OUTSIDE TO CHK ON THE LEAK. I SAW FUEL WAS COMING OUT OF THE VENT DRAIN UNDER THE R WING AND FORMING A BIG PUDDLE. I TOLD THE RAMP SUPVR TO CALL THE FIRE DEPT AND GET THE EQUIP TO CONTAIN THE FUEL UNDER THE WING. I IMMEDIATELY WENT INSIDE AND TURNED OFF ALL OF THE FUEL PUMPS. THAT STOPPED THE FUEL LEAK. WHEN I LOOKED AT THE FUEL ECAM PAGE; I NOTICED THAT THE CTR TANK FUEL WAS DOWN TO 270 LBS. IT SEEMED LIKE CTR TANK FUEL WAS XFERRED TO THE WING TANKS. OUR APU WAS RUNNING AT THE TIME SO THE L WING TANK WAS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE R WING TANK. I WENT OUTSIDE AND COORD WITH THE FIRE MARSHALL. HE FIRST WANTED THE PAX OFF THE PLANE BUT THEN HE CHANGED HIS MIND AND LEFT THE PAX ON BOARD. WE MADE ANNOUNCEMENTS TO THE PAX DURING AND AFTER THE EVENT. I COORD WITH THE MAINT AND DISPATCHER FOR A NEW RELEASE. I THINK ONE OF THE FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS EVENT IS THE WAY OPS PLACARD WAS WRITTEN. THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF FUEL VENTING WHEN THE WING TANKS ARE COMPLETELY FULL AND THERE IS FUEL IN THE CTR TANK. HIGHER OUTPUT PRESSURE OF THE CTR TANK FUEL PUMPS OVERRIDE THE WING TANK'S FUEL PUMPS AND FUEL TRANSFERS TO THE WING TANKS. FUEL STARTS VENTING OVERBOARD WHEN THE WING TANKS ARE OVERFILLED.