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Workers Clean Up Diesel Spill on Neches River Near Beaumont, Texas

Posted on: Wednesday, 27 July 2005, 21:00 CDT

Jul. 27--BEAUMONT -- Workers Tuesday finished cleaning up a diesel spill on the Neches River.

An estimated 300 gallons entered the waterway through storm drains upstream of the docks at Riverfront Park sometime late Saturday or early Sunday, Coast Guard and Texas General Land Office officials said.

Port of Beaumont personnel noticed a sheen on the water about 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

By noon that day, cleanup efforts involving the U.S. Coast Guard, the Land Office and a contractor, Oil Mop Inc., a Groves company, had started.

By 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, most of the diesel had been sopped up, and the river looked normal, but dizzying fumes still could irritate the nose and eyes.

Petty Officer Brian Yancy said the spill posed no threat to Beaumont's water supply, and because the spill was confined around the dock area, other environmental impact was minimal.

"We haven't noticed any fish or wildlife harmed," Yancy said.

Yancy said the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, federally funded through taxes, had been tapped for $40,000, the cleanup's estimated cost.

J.T. Ewing of the Land Office said an investigation had identified a suspect company, but his agency was awaiting sample results to confirm identification. Ewing said investigators believed a leak in a pump hose had allowed diesel to run out into a storm drain.

Yancy said there was a range of punishment possible depending on the nature of the incident.

The person or entity responsible will be held accountable for the cost of the cleanup, he said. In addition, civil penalties of up to three times the amount of the cleanup, or $32,500 per day, could apply.

About 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Yancy and others at the site were waiting for chief responders to assess the situation to determine if a holding boom put in place to contain the spill would be taken down or left up.

Yancy said a sheen on the water would take some time to disperse but was nothing to be concerned about.

Ewing said officials would continue to monitor the situation, as they expected small amounts of diesel to continue to be flushed out when it rained.

"There's nothing better than a cleansing rain," Ewing said.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Beaumont Enterprise, Texas

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Source: The Beaumont Enterprise

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