Tests encouraging as oil spill cleanup continues at Waldo County pond

BROOKS – Biologists found some encouraging signs Wednesday from preliminary tests of the bottom of Sanborn Pond after it was hit by a major oil spill.

Lake biologist Linda Bacon said tests of the depths taken Wednesday found no indication the 5,600 gallons of spilled oil sank to the bottom. Bacon said as long as the oil remains on the surface, the pond has a better chance to recover from the spill.

“I’m very happy to say that there were not globs of oil down there,” Bacon said as she loaded samples into her truck. “We collected samples from the bottom and it smelled like sediment, just like it should.”

Bacon said bottom samples were pulled from depths ranging from 66 feet to the shallows. From preliminary indications, she said the spill, so far, appears to have had “little impact” on the bottom of the pond or its fisheries.

“I have not seen a dead fish, and I have not seen any birds of prey circling and looking for dead fish,” Bacon said.

Bacon said extensive laboratory testing of the samples would provide a better picture of the quality of the water and bottom.

On Tuesday, scientists from federal and state fish and wildlife agencies were able to rescue an adult loon and cormorant. Both birds were covered with oil and were taken to a rehabilitation center for cleaning. An oil-covered painted turtle was found alive and brought to the center. A dead oil-soaked muskrat also was recovered.

The spill occurred at 8 p.m. Sunday when an H.O. Bouchard tanker truck crashed through a guardrail beside the pond and spilled much of its 8,600-gallon cargo of No. 6 oil into the water. Driver James Tripp, 46, of Brooks received facial cuts and multiple bruises in the wreck. Tripp told police he attempted to dodge a deer. The wreck remains under investigation.

Approximately 5,600 gallons of heavy Bunker C oil used to heat industrial boilers spilled from the broken tanker and quickly spread across the pond’s surface. Workers from Clean Harbors set up absorbent booms to cordon off the pond’s outflow and shallow wetlands and have been working into the night to collect the spilled oil.

Peter Blanchard of the Department of Environmental Protection’s Response Services Division estimated approximately 2,000 gallons had been recovered from the surface and shoreline. The oil was collected with skimming devices, the absorbent product Oilsnare and with booms.

Blanchard said certain areas of the pond free of oil were being cordoned off with boom systems. It is hoped that the booms will prevent the oil from spreading when the wind picks up.

Wind and rain have created problems for the workers assigned to the cleanup. Blanchard said the work force would be expanded from 16 to 30 in hopes of accelerating the removal and recovery.

Bacon described the oil as “incredibly sticky.” She said it had the ability to stick to solid objects and many of the aquatic surface plants were covered with oil. She noted cutting and removing the plants at this time of year should not harm their ability to survive over the long run. She said the plants have already stored energy for winter in their roots.

“I wouldn’t advise doing that on a healthy lake, but it has to be done here,” Bacon said. “We will be monitoring the lake for the next six weeks, at least. This is obviously a major spill, and there’s obviously a lot more to clean up, but it looks like they’re doing a great job.”