Diesel fuel spills into creek in Hamilton
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A Thursday "mishap" caused diesel fuel from an excavator to spill into McMichael Creek in Hamilton Township and flow into neighboring Stroud Township, said Monroe County Office of Emergency Services Director Bruce Henry.
The spill was expected to be contained by Thursday afternoon and have no negative environmental impact, said Henry.
A contractor was working on the bridge in the area of the Route 209/Route 33 split in Hamilton Township when the mishap occurred.
"They didn't get into any detail about what exactly happened to cause the fuel spill from the excavator," Henry said.
The creek carried the spill in a northeasterly direction toward the Hickory Valley Road area in Hamilton Township, where a man walking his dog noticed the filmy sheen on the water's surface and called the state Department of Environmental Protection at about 1 p.m. The DEP in turn alerted the county Office of Emergency Services.
OES personnel went out and walked along McMichael Creek in search of the spill, which traveled to as far as the Glenbrook Road area in neighboring Stroud Township.
"The contractor had Haz-Mat personnel contain the spill," said Henry. "The water is fairly high and moving fairly quickly, so whatever's left of the spill should dissipate and not cause any significant environmental impact."
The DEP is investigating. Henry as of Thursday afternoon wasn't anticipating a DEP fine against the contractor.
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