Crow’s Pond Landing Closed After Fuel Spill Discovered

CHATHAMPORT – Town crews were called to Crow’s Pond town landing Monday afternoon to investigate a fuel spill.

First reported to the harbormaster, the spill was about 25 feet from the edge of the water; it was not clear where the fuel came from or how much product was spilled, but officials said there was no evidence it had entered the waterway.

A slick of what appeared to be diesel fuel was found on the unpaved boat ramp, running around 20 feet from Crow’s Pond Road but stopping around 25 feet from the water.

Firefighters deployed spill containment materials and notified the state Department of Environmental Protection. The town landing remained closed to the public as of late Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning, town staff used a backhoe to dig out the contaminated soil around the spill to a depth of one to two feet. Health Agent Judith Giorgio said the recovered soil would be stockpiled at the transfer station until a decision is made on where to dispose of it. The town hired Bennett Environmental Associates to oversee the remediation, and officials from the state department of environmental protection were expected on the scene Tuesday.

In all, crews dug up around 55 tons of soil on the advice of the licensed site professional, Fire Chief Justin Tavano said.

“He just wanted to be super cautious that they got everything out,” he said. It appeared that the recovered soil had only trace amounts of fuel in it, and it is possible that the total spill was less than 10 gallons. Town crews were backfilling the hole Tuesday afternoon.

Anyone with information about the origin of the spill is asked to call the fire department at 508-945-2324 or the police at 508-945-1213. Police are checking the area to see if there are any security cameras that might have recorded activity in the area at the time of the spill.