ATHOL — Contractors are working to vacuum as much fuel as possible from Mill Brook and the Millers River after a diesel tanker truck rolled over at the intersection of Hapgood and Fletcher streets in Athol and released an estimated 6,000 gallons of product in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday.
Edmund Coletta, spokesperson for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said Environmental Services Inc., of South Windsor, Conn., the department’s on-call contractor on Wednesday, was on the scene for environmental cleanup and the tanker truck company, Goguen Transportation, of Gardner, contracted Western Mass. Environmental, of West Springfield. There was reportedly no threat to the public.
Coletta said three boomed collection points have been installed in the river, with the final collection point placed in the center of Orange, where the river becomes wider and slower. Additional equipment, including frac tanks and a hard boom, was deployed to the scene. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, booms are “floating, physical barriers to oil, made of plastic, metal or other materials, which slow the spread of oil and keep it contained.”
Coletta also said Wednesday afternoon that operations were underway to vacuum up the oil into tanker trucks.
He said there is a lot of flow and current in the river, rendering booming less effective for the Athol spots.
Coletta explained a MassDEP emergency responder activated a state emergency response contractor and the Athol Fire Department called for a Tier 2 hazmat response. Oil sheen and odors were observed on the Millers River, Coletta reported. The release impacts Mill Brook and travels west to the confluence of the Millers River.
A call to the Athol Fire Department was not returned before press time.
The Facebook page of Orange Fire Rescue EMS told followers to expect to see activity around Riverfront Park on East River Street over the next several days as contractors collect, mitigate and contain the fuel spill.
“The spill made it to the Millers River and, of course, we’re downstream from Athol,” Orange Fire Chief James Young told the Greenfield Recorder by phone.
The department’s boat was being used to place booms across the river near the Fire Station, at the Daniel Shays Highway Bridge and in various places along the river in Athol. Orange Fire personnel, according to the Facebook post, had been assisting since approximately 4:45 a.m. Crews will reportedly remain in place the next few days to monitor the river and collect the oil with specialized trucks.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or
413-772-0261, ext. 262.