TOWANDA TOWNSHIP - A cleanup continued Friday at the Bradford County Airport following a fuel spill Thursday of approximately 150 gallons of Jet A fuel, the interim manager of the airport said.
The spill occurred on at approximately 8 a.m. Thursday when a coupling in a fueling system malfunctioned, said Heather Blokzyl, interim manager at the airport.
The fuel leaked onto an apron, which is a paved parking area for aircraft, in the middle of the airport property, she said. Fuel then flowed to the end of the pavement surface, where it reached and contaminated some soil, she said.
The fueling system is owned by Aero Coalition, which is a company that is a temporary tenant at the airport, and the Jet A fuel that leaked is also owned by Aero Coalition, she said.
Aero Coalition uses the Jet A fuel as helicopter fuel, she said.
"This (spill) had nothing to do with the county or us," Blokzyl said, adding that Aero Coalition is the "responsible party."
The spill was caught immediately and the malfunction was corrected immediately, she said.
"It could have been a lot worse," she said.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection determined what measures to take to clean up the spill and how they would be carried out, she said.
Staff from the DEP was at the site on Thursday, and continues to be on call, she said.
Environmental Products & Services of Old Forge, Pa., which was contacted by the Bradford County Emergency Management Agency, is conducting the cleanup, she said.
The cleanup, which began Thursday, is expected to be completed Monday, she said.
The cleanup consists of cleaning the pavement and removing all of the contaminated soil, she said.
"All environmental impacts are being taken care of" by Environmental Products & Services' clean-up, she said. "There will be no long-term environmental effects at the airport."
The spill "did not impact water at the airport or in the ground at all," she said.
The water used at the airport is provided by the Towanda Municipal Authority's municipal water service, she said.
Aero Coalition is paying for the cleanup, she said.
The exact amount of soil that will need to be removed has not yet been determined, but it would be significantly less than the amount that would be contained in the back of a dump truck, she said.
The airport is located in Towanda Township.
James Loewenstein can be reached at (570) 265-1633; or e-mail: jloewenstein@thedailyreview.com.
