A tanker truck hauling gasoline was involved in a vehicle accident and it rolled over at a traffic circle in Flemington, NJ.  At the time of the accident it was reported that the tanker was hauling 7,500-gallons of diesel fuel.  Upon arrival at the scene by response personnel, it was discovered that one of the tanker’s compartments was completely empty and several of the others were leaking.  Crews tapped the tanker compartments and pumped the remaining fuel from the damaged tanker’s compartments to the standby empty tankers. It was identified that fuel entered the storm drain inlet at the accident scene and flowed to an outfall at a nearby creek.  Personnel installed absorbent boom at the outfall and in various locations of the creek.

Further investigations by State authorities and remediation personnel observed oil downstream in the creek and in a larger river.  It was later calculated that a total of 2,200-gallons was released.  Recovery and remediation efforts included creating dams in the creek and absorbent boom barriers to prevent diesel fuel from traveling farther downstream. At the location of the accident, diesel fuel had impacted soils that were located adjacent to the roadway and on private property that is classified as an Archeological Site for Native American artifacts. Excavation activities were overseen by an archeologist to identify and preserve possible artifacts.  Additionally some wildlife was impacted as a result of this release.  It was necessary to mobilize wildlife specialists to capture several Canadian Geese who were transported off site for cleaning and rehabilitation before being returned to their natural habitat.

Ultimately all diesel fuel was recovered from the water ways and impacted soils removed.  Soil sediment and water samples were collected and analyzed to comply with NJDEP guidelines.  The necessary reporting was completed and submitted to the NJDEP and site closure was granted.  All work was completed under the NJ Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) Program.