A household outdoor heating tank. Courtesy U.S. Department of Energy
SOUTH BURLINGTON — An oil spill of at least 200 gallons occurred 100 feet away from Lake Champlain in late February, and while state officials say they can’t yet be sure, they’re optimistic the spill won’t reach the lake.
The spill occurred Feb. 22 when a household kerosene tank leaked, contaminating the surrounding soil and giving off a pungent smell.
The spill was stabilized on the same day of the incident, according to Tim Cropley, spill program manager at the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. The next day, Cropley said, workers removed as much impaired soil as they could and installed a drainage pipe to direct any kerosene that is deeper in the ground to a single, contained location.
The spill has not yet contaminated Lake Champlain, something Cropley is hopeful will not occur.
“I am feeling pretty good about what our chances are,” he said. “There is no evidence that this is going to get into the lake, but the work continues. It’s kind of early in the process to know for sure.”
The homeowner contracted NRC U.S. Ecology, a global oil spill removal company, to clean-up the spill the day the leak was reported. Cropley said his team is providing oversight and consultation to the firm.
The site is currently being checked every couple days to determine the success of the drainage system, both by the volume and rate of kerosene recovered. If no signs of kerosene remain, eventually the system will be taken apart and the clean-up company will remove the petroleum-based product left behind.
Vermont regulations require private tanks to be inspected once every three years to make sure there is no imminent risk of a leak.
The tank in South Burlington was due for an inspection soon, said Cropley, having had its last one roughly two-and-a-half years ago.
He also said incidents like this are not uncommon and that tanks wear out with age and sometimes corrode. He recommends homeowners keep an eye on their tanks and, when they do, use the state’s self inspection checklist.
“Three years, it's not a long time, but things like this can happen,” he said. “That checklist can (help people) check out their tank to make sure that it's in decent enough shape.”
