Oil spill taints S. Jersey waterways
Diesel fuel from an underground supply line at a NJ Transit bus depot tainted about four miles of waterway in Washington and Gloucester Townships before emergency crews contained it Thursday.
Roughly 26,000 gallons of diesel fuel from the ruptured underground line seeped into a storm drain and a stream leading to Grenloch Lake, which is in Washington Township and Gloucester Township, and into Blackwood Lake in Gloucester Township, said Lawrence Hajna, a spokesman with the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Authorities were trying to determine when the spill at the bus depot on the Black Horse Pike in Washington Township began.
It was discovered early Thursday and was contained shortly after 3 p.m., NJ Transit spokesman John Durso Jr. said.
By about 6 p.m., 3,000 gallons of the spilled fuel had been recovered from the garage site, Durso said.
The DEP, U.S. Coast Guard, and state Division of Fish and Wildlife were working with Camden County officials to determine the extent of environmental damage, said Ralph Green, director of the Division of Environmental and Consumer Health Services, part of the county Health and Human Services Department.
Hajna said authorities had reports that some geese and ducks were affected by the fuel, but he did not have details.
Gloucester Township Mayor David Mayer said that the area's drinking water does not come from the lakes but that Grenloch Lake is used for fishing.
"Our concern is the safety and public health of our residents," Mayer said.
Grenloch and Blackwood Lakes drain into Big Timber Creek, which divides Gloucester and Camden Counties and which runs into the Delaware River.
Washington Township Fire Chief John Hoffman said booms were placed in Big Timber Creek between Bellmawr and Deptford Township.
Hajna said Big Timber Creek did not appear to be affected, but officials were monitoring it.
He said most of the diesel fuel flowed into a storm drain at the NJ Transit site and into a stream leading to Grenloch Lake.
"The response has been quick. Our guys feel that it's under control," Hajna said.
He said vacuums were being used to suck the diesel fuel out of Grenloch Lake. Absorbent pads also were placed in the waterways, he said.
NJ Transit hired Clean Venture Inc., an environmental-cleanup contractor based in Elizabeth, N.J., to contain the leak and clean up the waterways, Durso said. The company was at the scene about 11 a.m. to begin its assessment, Durso said.
About three hours earlier, firefighters from Gloucester and Washington Townships responded to calls reporting strong fumes in the vicinity of the lakes, Hoffman said.
"They noticed the sheen of what appeared to be some type of oil in the waterways," Hoffman said.
He said emergency personnel tracked the fumes to the NJ Transit site near Grenloch Lake.
About 9 a.m., NJ Transit authorities also discovered that diesel fuel was emerging above ground at the garage.
An investigation revealed a blown gasket in the underground fuel line, Durso said.
The site is used to park and refuel about 100 NJ Transit buses, Durso said.
He said the fiberglass storage tanks, each with a capacity of 20,000 gallons, were installed in 1988 and were due for replacement next year.
The tanks had been replenished Wednesday, Durso said.
Early Thursday morning, NJ Transit officials noticed a glitch in fuel pressure while trying to refuel buses, Durso said. The buses were taken to refueling facility in Camden, and authorities began looking for the source of the problem.
The tanks were last inspected, as DEP regulations require, on Dec. 22, but Durso did not have details.