Thursday, March 26, 2015

LITTLE MILL CREEK OIL SPILL IN DELAWARE IS INVESTIGATED





MARCH 25, 2015

ELSMERE, DELAWARE

Environmental crews are investigating an oil spill in Little Mill Creek south of Elsmere.

The oil filtered into the creek from a storm drain, said Matthew Higgins, a state environmental scientist.

The creek drains a watershed that stretches to Greenville, eventually winding through Canby Park and paralleling an industrial park off Del. 4 on Germay Drive before emptying into the Christina River.

Following an all-day clean-up Tuesday, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control's work is now considered "maintenance," Higgins said. He could not disclose where the oil came from, only that it was from upstream.

The smell of petroleum filled the air as the team removed debris and laid out additional oil absorption pads for the tail-end of the clean-up in the wooded area close to Prayer and Praise Power Ministries Wednesday evening. The oil did not get absorbed into the bottom of the creek or its rocky beds, he said.

"It's much improved," Higgins said.

The incident was unrelated to last week's oil spill in the Delaware River after a cargo ship dumped about 100 gallons into the waterway, he said.

Nathan Harlan, who works at nearby Pike Creek Coffee on Germay Drive, was shocked there had been an incident.

"I think it's horrible," Harlan, an environmental science major at the University of Delaware said. "The Delaware Watershed and Chesapeake Watershed are already recovering from decades of maltreatment ... this isn't really helping."
Reporter Jeff Montgomery contributed to this report. 

Source: http://www.delawareonline.com