Pomfret (WTNH) - An oil company, in Pomfret, is doing more picking up than delivering Monday because it's dealing with a good-size gas leak.
Pink snow is not a good color for firefighters and DEP workers trying to contain runoff from a big spill at an oil tank in Pomfret.
"There's a large puddle up there with about 1,500 gallons on the ground," Assistant Fire Chief Ed Bates, of the Pomfret Fire Department, said.
Assistant Fire Chief Bates said the spill happened after a Hometown Heating Oil truck had just filled up. Apparently the pipe from the tank got snagged on the truck as it pulled away.
"Got a tank sitting at this level; a valve coming off the bottom of it that then goes into the top of the truck. So, when he drove away that pipe broke leaving the exposed pipe off the bottom of the tank," Jeff Chandler, of the DEP, said.
And, from there, about 1,600 gallons of number two oil flowed onto the ground until workers got the tank plugged up. The owner of Hometown Heating said $3,500 worth oil is now in a puddle at the top of this driveway.
"Our biggest fear would be the contamination of the groundwater beneath the soils," Chandler said. "And the fact that there are drinking wells in the area."
The one savior in the situation is that there are at least a few inches of frost on the ground which kept it from seeping down into the groundwater.
Clean Harbors soon arrived to clean up the mess, vacuuming up the oil, before any more damage is done and before nearby apartments are affected. DEP will test the soil.
"And as a precautionary measure, test the well to ensure there's no oil in there at this point," Chandler said.
The DEP also plans to return to the site to make sure the wells do not become contaminated at a later point in time.
