Discussion of Delayed Response to US Diesel Spill
Much of the focus was directed at the NJ Transit officials in attendance, as they explained the source, timeline and reasons for the spill.
Representatives from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection were also in attendance to explain the procedures for the cleanup and environmental impact.
Cleanup has been taking place at Grenloch Lake following on from a diesel spill in mid-January 2012.
NJ Transit officials attributed the spill to a burst gasket on the two 20,000-gallon fuel tanks located in front of their facility on Route 42. During the meeting, they revealed that the gasket actually burst at around 8 p.m. on Wednesday night, a full 12 hours before the Washington Township Fire Department was on the scene to contain the spills already noticeable in Grenloch lake.
An alarm to notify the NJ Transit facility that there was a problem with the tanks at the time of the burst gasket went unnoticed. An alternate alarm in the foreman's office went unnoticed and was reset automatically.
While all but 1,000 gallons of the tanks were flowing above ground, downstream paths into the waterways there was no noticeable odour in the NJ Transit facility at that time.
An odour was detected by the residents surrounding the affected waterways. Fire District Chief John Hoffman said that the Gloucester Township and the Washington Township fire departments were on the scene at around 8 a.m. to respond to complaints of fuel odours in the air. Once they saw the oil sheen on the lake, they called for more resources and set up a joint command centre at Gloucester County's Lakeland Complex.
Officials stated that the township's quick response, setting up absorbent booms and containment devices inside the lakes, had been crucial to preventing further contamination.
The tanks dated from 1987 when the building was constructed and were scheduled to be replaced next year. That timeline has since been speeded up. The alarms that failed to notify the facility about the leak will be replaced as soon as possible. New systems have been ordered, and will be installed as soon as they arrive.
Cleanup efforts have recovered 8,933 gallons of oil from the waterways, as well as 437 tons of oil-saturated soil. Another 8.7 tons of contaminated debris were collected.
While Martin Judd, from NJ Transit's Environmental Services, said that there were no concerns that current fish or the spring restocking of fish in the lake will be affected by the spill since the light diesel fuel stays on the surface of the water, he was unsure when the spill will be officially 'clean'.
A state DEP investigation into the incident is still underway.
