EASTON – The Maryland Department of the Environment, the United States Coast Guard, the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office and dozens of Mid-Shore fire and rescue workers battled Tuesday to clean up and contain a large fuel spill in the Tred Avon River at Easton Point. , May 11.
Hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel were said to have leaked into the Tred Avon from a leaking fuel tank on the property of the Southern States Talbot Petroleum Service, according to MDE officials.
Fuel made its way through the water near the tip of Port Street and past the Easton Point Marina.
After erecting orange barriers, or dams, in the troubled waters of the Tred Avon, firefighters and MDE responders prevented the sticky liquid fuel from spilling further.
Responders were still working to absorb the diesel from the water as of Tuesday evening, although most of it has now been removed. Responders fitted absorption pads to absorb the spill and walked towards the boats as the fuel drifted upstream with a change in wind and river flow.
Lt. Daryl Caldwell, of the Easton Volunteer Fire Department, said firefighters and emergency responders left the scene around 1 p.m., leaving MDE and the Coast Guard to “get the fuel.” diesel which is still there ”.
“Most of it was contained around the marina,” he said. “When we left, they were working to clean to the best of their ability … to reduce the environmental impact.”
The leak occurred early in the morning. Easton Point Marina owner Tristan Price smelled the pungent smell of diesel fuel and saw thick, brown mud flooding the Tred Avon around 7 a.m. He quickly called MDE and 911.
“It was stretched across the width, coming from upstream,” he said. “I’ve never seen it so bad here. If I could have contained this on my own, I wouldn’t have made a call, but I don’t have the resources to do so. This is how it should happen. “
Easton Point Marina was closed during the emergency but reopened in the late afternoon.
“The damage may already be done,” Price said. “Normally in the morning you see fish flocking and birds along the shore. With that fuel spill, I didn’t see a thing.
The EVFD responded at approximately 8:39 a.m. and was joined by Talbot County Firefighters and the Caroline County and Dorchester County Fire Departments.
Along with several Talbot County police officers, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources police responded, as did the Talbot County Emergency Services Department.
Brian LeCates, the deputy director of Talbot EMS, has deployed a “medical unit for rehabilitation, if the firefighters have overheated or need to get caught” as they work with the dangerous fumes from the fuel.
MDE officials have determined the source of the leak – a faulty diesel fuel tank at a Southern States facility off Port Street, which houses several large tanks of different fuels.
Geoff Donahue, director of emergency preparedness and response at MDE, speculated that a fraction of the 4,100 gallons of diesel fuel in the tank spilled into the water, which would amount to a few hundred or so. hundreds of gallons – but it could have been a bigger spill. .
At the time, officials did not have an estimate of how much fuel was in the Tred Avon, which could adversely affect aquatic life and water quality.
John Schatz, the energy operations manager for the Southern States, said the fuel tank in question was out of service, possibly after a recent inspection, because it had not been bolted and secured properly.
But a fuel distributor was unaware of this and delivered fuel to the tank from a truck. The oil then flowed out of the container, through the piping and into a separator to drain rainwater and other non-harmful water sources into the river. Instead, he sent hundreds of gallons of diesel into the water.
Schatz explained that truck drivers delivering fuel are contractors, but are always aware of out-of-service tanks.
“That tank was leaking, so he just threw it in there, probably three or four inches of fuel,” he said. “There is responsibility on all sides, including, of course, the driver of the truck.”
After the driver dumped 4,100 gallons in the tank, there were only about 350 gallons of fuel left, which is now sealed and contained, Schatz said.
Donahue wouldn’t comment if there was more fuel in the water, but said a full MDE investigation would be underway. Still, he is confident that the waterway, which flows into Chesapeake Bay, will not be seriously damaged.
“When the oil hits the water it thins, it’s microscopic and it’s literally like microns thick. So a little sun burns out pretty quickly, ”he says. “You’re not going to see a long term impact there.”
EASTON – The Maryland Department of the Environment, the United States Coast Guard, the Talbot County Sheriff’s Office and dozens of Mid-Shore fire and rescue workers battled Tuesday to clean up and contain a large fuel spill in the Tred Avon River at Easton Point. , May 11.
Hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel were said to have leaked into the Tred Avon from a leaking fuel tank on the property of the Southern States Talbot Petroleum Service, according to MDE officials.
Fuel made its way through the water near the tip of Port Street and past the Easton Point Marina.
After erecting orange barriers, or dams, in the troubled waters of the Tred Avon, firefighters and MDE responders prevented the sticky liquid fuel from spilling further.
Responders were still working to absorb the diesel from the water as of Tuesday evening, although most of it has now been removed. Responders fitted absorption pads to absorb the spill and walked towards the boats as the fuel drifted upstream with a change in wind and river flow.
Lt. Daryl Caldwell, of the Easton Volunteer Fire Department, said firefighters and emergency responders left the scene around 1 p.m., leaving MDE and the Coast Guard to “get the fuel.” diesel which is still there ”.
“Most of it was contained around the marina,” he said. “When we left, they were working to clean to the best of their ability … to reduce the environmental impact.”
The leak occurred early in the morning. Easton Point Marina owner Tristan Price smelled the pungent smell of diesel fuel and saw thick, brown mud flooding the Tred Avon around 7 a.m. He quickly called MDE and 911.
“It was stretched across the width, coming from upstream,” he said. “I’ve never seen it so bad here. If I could have contained this on my own, I wouldn’t have made a call, but I don’t have the resources to do so. This is how it should happen. “
Easton Point Marina was closed during the emergency but reopened in the late afternoon.
“The damage may already be done,” Price said. “Normally in the morning you see fish flocking and birds along the shore. With that fuel spill, I didn’t see a thing.
The EVFD responded at approximately 8:39 a.m. and was joined by Talbot County Firefighters and the Caroline County and Dorchester County Fire Departments.
Along with several Talbot County police officers, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources police responded, as did the Talbot County Emergency Services Department.
Brian LeCates, the deputy director of Talbot EMS, has deployed a “medical unit for rehabilitation, if the firefighters have overheated or need to get caught” as they work with the dangerous fumes from the fuel.
MDE officials have determined the source of the leak – a faulty diesel fuel tank at a Southern States facility off Port Street, which houses several large tanks of different fuels.
Geoff Donahue, director of emergency preparedness and response at MDE, speculated that a fraction of the 4,100 gallons of diesel fuel in the tank spilled into the water, which would amount to a few hundred or so. hundreds of gallons – but it could have been a bigger spill. .
At the time, officials did not have an estimate of how much fuel was in the Tred Avon, which could adversely affect aquatic life and water quality.
John Schatz, the energy operations manager for the Southern States, said the fuel tank in question was out of service, possibly after a recent inspection, because it had not been bolted and secured properly.
But a fuel distributor was unaware of this and delivered fuel to the tank from a truck. The oil then flowed out of the container, through the piping and into a separator to drain rainwater and other non-harmful water sources into the river. Instead, he sent hundreds of gallons of diesel into the water.
Schatz explained that truck drivers delivering fuel are contractors, but are always aware of out-of-service tanks.
“That tank was leaking, so he just threw it in there, probably three or four inches of fuel,” he said. “There is responsibility on all sides, including, of course, the driver of the truck.”
After the driver dumped 4,100 gallons in the tank, there were only about 350 gallons of fuel left, which is now sealed and contained, Schatz said.
Donahue wouldn’t comment if there was more fuel in the water, but said a full MDE investigation would be underway. Still, he is confident that the waterway, which flows into Chesapeake Bay, will not be seriously damaged.
“When the oil hits the water it thins, it’s microscopic and it’s literally like microns thick. So a little sun burns out pretty quickly, ”he says. “You’re not going to see a long term impact there.”