Full Text:

Fast Response Limits Oil Spill Impact

(with photo)

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Quick action by Botsford firefighters and Holcomb Fuel workers Wednesday

morning limited the environmental damage when about 200 gallons of #2 home

heating fuel spilled onto the ground in the fuel company yard at 151 South

Main Street, according to a state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)

inspector.

Michael Capuano, a DEP oil spill inspector, said domestic water wells in the

vicinity of the site won't be affected by the spill because it was cleaned up

quickly. The quick response to the spill limited the fuel's travel across and

into the ground, he said. All the heating fuel was contained on the company

property, he said. The spill caused "minimal environmental impact," Mr Capuano

said.

Capuano said the spill was caused either by a "piping problems" or an

"inventory problem." The exact cause of the spill is under investigation, he

said.

At about 8 am, Wednesday, a small army of Botsford firefighters and Holcomb

Fuel workers spread absorbent powder and absorbent pads on the home heating

fuel which was trickling back across the company yard toward a pond adjacent

to a large fuel storage tank. Workers also placed oil booms on the pond to

limit damage.

"When you clean it up that quick, the impact is minimal. It doesn't get into

the ground that far," said Fire Marshal George Lockwood. No waterways received

oil from the spill, he said.

Mr Lockwood said the spill was caused be either a malfunctioning valve or

because oil was being unloaded too quickly from a large fuel tanker into a

stationary storage tank.

Holcomb Fuel called in an emergency response team from American Environmental

Technologies, Inc. in Bethel to clean up the oil spill. The company will issue

a report on its work to Mr Lockwood.

Jim Kaiser, an owner of Holcomb Fuel, said it's unfortunate that the spill

occurred. He said because the storage tank from which the fuel spilled was

located above-ground, it was quickly apparent there was a problem. Mr Kaiser

said homeowners should replace their existing below-ground fuel storage tanks

with above-ground tanks as a safety measure.

Fuel spills such as the one that occurred Wednesday will make the public aware

it's better to have fuel storage tanks above-ground, he said.

Mr Kaiser credited the fast response of his workers, Botsford firefighters and

the cleanup crew from Bethel in limiting damage from the oil spill.