DEP discusses spill

BY ERIC HRIN (STAFF WRITER)
Published: March 11, 2010

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A diesel fuel spill that occurred this week at a Talisman gas well pad location on Fallbrook Road in Armenia Township impacted a wetlands and Fall Brook, according to Dan Spadoni, spokesman with the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

Talisman also has agreed to sample a private drinking water well located about 500 feet from the boundary of the spill, he said. Spadoni said the company will report the results to DEP.

The DEP had staff at the site from its environmental clean-up program most of the day Tuesday. Spadoni said DEP wasn't at the location Wednesday, but will probably be there today.

"Our estimation is that the spill was at least 200 gallons and it did spread across a fairly significant area," he said. Talisman had said it was between 50 to 200 gallons.

On Tuesday, Spadoni said, the work involved the use of a vacuum truck to try to suck up some of the diesel fuel. In addition, some interceptor trenches were excavated and petroleum absorbent booms and pads were used.

He didn't know when the spill would be cleaned up completely.

"They've excavated contaminated soil, and sampled it, stockpiled it and covered it," he said. He said additional sampling is needed to make sure all the contaminated soil has been excavated.

Any fine that might be imposed, he said, would be addressed later.

The focus now, he said, is to make sure the clean-up is done properly and completely. He added that Talisman has been very cooperative.

In terms of gas well spills, this one was a "fairly significant" spill, he said.

This week, Talisman Energy spokesman Mark Scheuerman said the spill occurred at the Putnam well. The source of the spill, he said, is believed to be a drilling rig component, but he couldn't be more specific. He added that fuel is no longer leaking from the source. How it occurred is still being determined, he said, adding the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is investigating.

"Our procedures are to continuously monitor the surface impact and to monitor containment," he said.

He couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

Eric Hrin can be reached at (570) 297-5251; e-mail: reviewtroy@thedailyreview.com.

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2 posted comments

If stuff soaking into the ground, could contaminate the whole world.. Then all of us would have died 20 years ago.. after Chernobyl.
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Tonny Hunkanook,  03/11/10 9:05
please help us understand - (because more facts equals less unanswered questions and therefore might alleviate some concerns) - doesn't spilled fuel migrate down through the earth? how far and how quickly in wetlands? so even if 'contaminated soil' was excavated, and 'surface monitoring' is being done, isn't there still a concern that the spill migrated further downward and into a water table? Seems to me more needs to be monitored than just the surface, and further than one home drinking well. Fuel contaminated water would travel further than that in wetlands, wouldn't it? (wish we could rely on our local and knowledgeable conservation district folks who LIVE here just like us - but the gas companies took them out of the equation so now we need to 'trust' DEP, who are understaffed, over worked, don't live here, and have a vested interest in keeping the money flowing?)
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just asking ...,  03/11/10 7:39