Schuylkill oil spill cleanup efforts continue
U.S. Coast Guard will be using assessment techniques to determine the impact the spill had on the river.
State officials said much of the 200 gallons of heating oil that spilled into the Schuylkill River Monday afternoon has been removed.
Cleanups are underway in #Philly for the Schuylkill River diesel spill. #USCG Learn more: https://t.co/lHYYzQzBAz pic.twitter.com/FJlaumUrVN
— USCG Mid-Atlantic (@uscgmidatlantic) January 26, 2016
The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and other agencies continued cleaning up the oil spill Tuesday. Contractors used vacuum trucks to get the oil out of the river, but DEP said the cleanup efforts will continue throughout the week. They said the timeline is “indeterminate” as of Tuesday evening.
DEP emergency response is working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Coast Guard, the city and contractors to clean up the heating oil that leaked from a 4,200-gallon tank located near a building on the 2400 Market St.
The next step will be to begin identifying the path of the oil which will require dealing with the heavy snowfall from this weekend’s snowstorm. DEP said it was discovered that the oil traveled over a sewer manhole cover that high levels of contaminants were found to have to have entered the manhole.
The Coast Guard will be using assessment techniques to determine the impact the spill had on the river. As of Tuesday evening, DEP reported that they have found no fish kills associated with the spill.
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