Monday July 6, 2009: At approximately 9 am, a gasoline tanker truck with 10,000 gallons onboard was involved in an accident on Route 95N in Newburyport, MA. As a result, the truck released approximately 8,600 gallons of gasoline onto the road. The gasoline flowed into the storm drain and an unknown amount has entered the Merrimack River.
The area is moderately populated and several residents in the area were evacuated. In addition, the Town of Newburyport temporarily shut down one public drinking water well and a small sewage lift station.
MassDEP, the EPA and Coast Guard have responded in addition to local fire departments and the MA District Hazmat team. The responsible party is conducted cleanup operations. EPA also activated the ERRS contractor to assist in removing the oil from the river water, but then demobilized ERRS as additional RP contractor assets were on scene.
