From the Star Ledger;
COSTLY CLEANUP
Friday, May 11, 2007
BY BILL SWAYZE
Star-Ledger Staff
The business responsible for a spill of some 200 to 300 gallons of diesel fuel in Hanover Wednesday night will likely face criminal charges, authorities in the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said yesterday.
There will also be a hefty bill for the cleanup, which is expected to take at least a week and cost $1,500 an hour, workers involved in the effort said the spill originated on Morristown & Erie Railway property off Jefferson Road. About 25 to 50 gal lons of fuel reached the Whippany River and the bulk of the fuel seeped into the ground, contaminating the soil, said Christopher Hagerman, a supervisor with the cleanup outfit handling the job, Atlantic Response Inc.
The spill was linked to the disassembly of locomotives recently sold to a Mississippi-based company that strips them down, sells the engines and makes a profit on the sale of scrap metal, said Alvin Siebold, a security specialist with the railway. He said five locomo tives were sold and two were dismantled this week at the site.
Most of the diesel fuel in the tanks -- which can hold up to 2,000 gallons -- was removed, but Sie bold said some residual amounts seeped into the ground and contaminated the river.
Yesterday, the cleanup crew continued to soak up and contain the spill using booms and blankets in the river and tributary.
The spill was located in an industrial area, and there was no immediate danger to homeowners.
CV the Civil E