Monday July 6, 2009: At approximately 9 am, a tanker truck was involved in an accident on Route 95N in Newburyport, MA. As a result, the truck released approximately 8 to 9 thousand gallons of gasoline onto the road. The gasoline flowed into the storm drain and an unknown amount entered the Merrimmack River.
7/6/09 0900 hrs to 1700 hrs. The EPA, US Coast Guard, and MassDEP have responded and established a unified command. MassDEP hired a cleanup contractor, ENPRO, and is conducting cleanup operations initially trying to contain the gasoline in the River with boom. Subsequently, the responsible party assumed responsibility for the MassDEP contractor and then departed the scene. Due to the size of the spill and the difficulty in accessing the river with oil collection equipment, EPA activated the ERRS contractor to assist in removing the oil from the water. ERRS arrived on-scene at 5:30 pm. EPA is also conducting air monitoring with the START contractor in evacuated neighborhoods.
The area is moderately populated and several residents in the area were evacuated. In addition, the Town of Newburyport has shut down one private drinking water well and a small sewage lift station.
EPA contacted the USCG National Pollution Funds Center and opened an OPA Federal Project Number for $300,000.
EPA's scope of work for this incident includes:
1) Conduct air monitoring at the incident scene and in the residential areas evacuated; and
2) Provide assistance with oil removal/disposal.
EPA and ERRS will coordinate cleanup activities with the responsible party, Ananco, and their contractor.
The closure of I 95N is causing a lot of traffic problems and re-opening the highway is high priority.
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