Diesel Spill Polluted Greene Co. Waterway
Washington PA Observer Reporter
8 March 2012
By Tara Kinsell, Staff writer
tkinsell@observer-reporter.com
Officials in Greene County were unaware a 480-gallon diesel spill
had leaked into a high-quality waterway in Center Township in
December until they were contacted by news media this week.
"We were never notified," said Edward "Butch" Deter, chairman of
the township's board of supervisors and president of Center
Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Deter said he knows the state Department of Environmental
Protection was under no obligation to notify the township but
considered it a common courtesy to do so.
The spill occurred at an EQT Corp. well site when a worker there
was transferring fuel from one tank to another and did not realize
it was seeping out, said John Poister, a spokesman for the DEP.
EQT alerted the DEP about the spill that entered nearby Patterson
Run. The company contained the spill and cleaned up the
surrounding land and water, Poister said.
"There could have been several scenarios that played where we
needed to know this happened," Deter said. "As a fire department
and township official, we have been called several times to assist
with spills."
Deter said it may be a far reach, but if someone were drafting
water from the creek and it still contained diesel fuel, it could
be a problem, especially if it were being used to fight a fire.
"You would have thought we would have been notified somehow just
as a courtesy, more as an informational item, but that did not
happen," said Jeff Marshall, chief clerk for Greene County.
Marshall said with the One Call system, it would have been simple
to alert township and county officials.
Poister said the DEP followed its regulations for a call such as
this, which did not require notifying local municipalities.
"We did not consider this to be a major incident. Anytime a high
quality waterway is impacted, we want to respond quickly," Poister
said. "We have seen EQT's soil and water testing results. What we
have seen downstream is the readings are low. They are below the
minimum approved contamination levels."
Poister said there is another inspection taking place, and
additional samplings will be taken at that time, but the DEP did
not believe there is anything in the water now.>
He said in the case of a major spill, municipalities would be
notified by the first responders who were called to assist.
"If nothing else, it would have helped to know what is going on
there if someone asked," Deter said. "It doesn't reflect well on
us if someone called and we couldn't tell them."
Deter said he saw buoys on the property but thought they were part
of excavation work taking place.
"It is private property. We were not aware there was a problem,"
he said. "I spoke with Morris Township, and they did not know
either."
Patterson Run extends through both Center and Morris Townships.
The DEP began its investigation Dec. 8. A notice of violation was
issued to EQT and a fine is possible, Poister said. He was unsure
of the actual date of the spill but believed it to have been
either Dec. 7 or Dec. 8.
A call to EQT Wednesday was not returned.