Fuel Spill Mostly Contained

By JOHN RICHARDSON Staff Writer

Cleanup crews collected kerosene-contaminated ice from the banks of the Presumpscot River on Friday, a day after a truck overturned and spilled an estimated 1,200 gallons of the fuel on the Allen Avenue Extension bridge.

State and federal officials, meanwhile, said they found no obvious signs of damage to the river or Casco Bay after scanning the area from shore, boats and a plane.

"Most of the oil we’ve seen is held up in the ice in the water along the shoreline," said Jon Woodard, a spill responder with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. "There should not be a long-term impact, from what I’ve seen. … By the end of today we should have a pretty good handle on the oil."

The spill happened around 4:20 p.m. Thursday when a Union Oil delivery truck overturned on the bridge. The kerosene was carried by the outgoing tide toward Casco Bay, less than two miles away.

An estimated 900 gallons of kerosene, about half of the truck’s cargo, got into the Presumpscot, according to state and federal officials.

Several hundred gallons were vacuumed up from the bridge surface or absorbed by snow and ice that was removed from the bridge Friday.

The Allen Avenue Extension bridge was closed off at 9 a.m. for the cleanup and reopened at 4 p.m.

The spill is considered significant, and the toxic oil adds to the cumulative load of petroleum waste that spills or flows into Casco Bay. But officials said they expect minimal direct damage to the environment and wildlife.

That’s partly because some of the kerosene was absorbed in ice, which is gradually being removed, and partly because wildlife is not abundant in that area at this time of year, officials said. The red dye in the kerosene made it easier for cleanup workers to see and remove the contaminated ice.

The Coast Guard dispatched a jet to fly over the affected area to determine the extent of the spill. Its crew did not see any oil sheens on the water.

Officials also used boats and walked the shoreline around the mouth of the Presumpscot River, looking for signs of the kerosene or damage to wildlife.

Of special concern Friday was the 65-acre wildlife sanctuary at Maine Audubon’s Gilsland Farm Audubon Center, near the mouth of the river.

The area’s meadows and mud flats attract a variety of animals, including migratory birds and year-round visitors such as red foxes and bald eagles. Maine Audubon and state officials who inspected the shoreline found no signs of kerosene there.

Dead River Co., which owns Union Oil, was working with state and federal agencies and taking responsibility for the cleanup. "Everything we’ve asked, they’ve done," said Woodard of the DEP.

It was unclear what the cleanup will cost, although it involved numerous public agencies as well as private cleanup contractors.

"We’ll make sure we put things back to right," said Gary Tracy, a district manager for Dead River.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, Police Chief Ed Tolan said Friday.

Based on witnesses’ reports, he said, the truck was traveling within the speed limit and hit a patch of ice before striking a guardrail on the bridge and rolling over.

The driver, Chris Lovering, was taken to a hospital Thursday but was at home Friday with no serious injuries, according to Tracy.

Staff Writer John Richardson can be contacted at 791-6324 or at:

jrichardson@pressherald.com

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