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Oil from Camp Spills into Maranacook Lake

March 21, 2011 - Readfield — Environmental crews were back on Maranacook Lake Wednesday mopping up several hundred gallons of home heating oil that spilled from a camp sometime last week.


Dan Davis, oil and hazardous material specialist for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, estimated 300 gallons of oil spilled when a filter broke off a home heating oil tank.


“It’s pretty much all in the lake,” Davis said, “but it’s contained by ice in the one area.
“We had several cleanup companies here (Tuesday) night and (Wednesday) morning,” he said. “So far, we’re being pretty successful.”


The spill occurred at a remote camp off Beaver Dam Road when the basement flooded with water, causing the filter to break off the oil tank.


“It’s not clear exactly when it occurred,” Davis said. “It was discovered (Tuesday), but it likely happened sometime in the last week.”


Lake ice is breaking up near shore, making it unreliable to walk on, Davis said, but the oil is being held where the solid ice begins.


“It’s acting kind of like a dam,” Davis said. “It’s a natural containment.”


Crews plan to chip all the ice and snow away and load it into a water-tight container that Davis likened to a large Dumpster. The ice and snow will then be melted and disposed of as oily water.


Crews will then use a vacuum truck to skim off the remaining oil and water mixture from the surface. Then there will be a more focused effort to collect the last drops of oil, Davis said.


“I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re here the next three or four days,” he said. “The residual stuff takes a long time, but it’s a lot less labor-intensive.”


Davis is confident crews will be able to remove nearly all the oil.


“We had good collection (Tuesday) night,” he said.


Craig Crosby, Kennebec Journal, March 2011


Lakes: Maranacook Lake
Regions: Belgrade


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