State environmental officials say they’ve contained an estimated one-thousand gallon oil spill in Gilmanton.
Gilmanton police say a large tanker truck parked nearby emptied the fuel oil into a brook that feeds into Rocky Pond.
As New Hampshire Public Radio’s Amy Quinton reports, both bodies of water and surrounding wetlands are contaminated and police say the spill might have been intentional.
(water/birds)
Rocky Pond is usually a quiet place where you can hear water lap at the pond’s edge.
Kimball Brook and nearby wetlands provide a great habitat for blackbirds, ducks, geese and the occasional blue heron.
But this week the scene is anything but quiet.
(sound earth movers)
Clean up crews are busy excavating rocks and black soil near the brook’s edge.
This is where more than 1000 gallons of thick black fuel oil spilled from the open valve of a tanker truck, down to the brook, covering it with what looks like tar.
State environmental officials hired EnPro Services to help remove the mess.
Enpro’s Gardner Warr says they’ve spent the last few days laying absorbent containment booms and pads.
“This yellow harbor boom that we’re looking at is something that prevents migration of oil resting on the water’s surface from flowing off into the surface water, it allows us to stop the migration of the oil and then deal with the problem inside.”
Warr says the spill is contained, but the air near Rocky Pond still reeks of fuel.
Its sheen is easily seen on the water’s surface.
Gilmanton resident Linda Hamilton has lived here 25 years – and can’t believe how different the pond looks now.
"every morning there’s migratory birds out in front of my place, and I’ve got my binoculars and I’m looking at them, there was one duck yesterday and then there was one blue heron trying to land today and had nowhere to land where it usually feeds, which was very sad."
Department of Environmental Service officials and New Hampshire Fish and Game are worried about how the spill might affect wildlife.
DES spokesman Jim Martin.
"we’re working the best we can to eliminate any risks, obviously it’s difficult to remove all of the oil, that pond is well known for various wildlife and these animals would be susceptible to being contaminated with the oil."
They’re asking residents who see any animals come in contact with the oil to call Fish and Game.
Environmental officials are also closely monitoring the water quality – they’re concerned the oil may kill or damage plants and other organisms in the water.
Currently, the spill is not a public health threat – no one uses the pond for drinking water.
Local resident Linda Hamilton says what makes the situation worse is that she’s heard the oil was intentionally dumped, although that’s not been confirmed.
"there’s so much land in here for it to get trapped in, all this stuff just gets stuck up on the vegetation, and there’s animals, it’s not something you would ever expects someone would purposely conscientiously do."
Gilmanton Police have turned the case over to the State Attorney General’s office, which is investigating.
Gerald Hyslop of Bristol owned the tanker and his uncle Ronald Martin owns the property.
They are considered suspects.
DES officials say clean up crews will continue to work on the spill for the next several weeks.
For NHPR news, I’m Amy Quinton.
