(Host) State environmental officials have dramatically increased their estimate of how much diesel fuel flowed into the Black River in Springfield over the weekend.
Someone intentionally opened fuel hoses behind the Black River Produce warehouse in North Springfield. Originally, officials believed 1,200 gallons leaked through a storm drain into the river.
But Gary Kessler of the Natural Resources Agency says it’s likely more than four-thousand gallons flowed into the river.
(Kessler) "That is a significant amount. There’ve been very few that have been in this range."
(Keese) An environmental clean-up company, hired by Black River Produce, has been working at the site. It has captured the fuel with booms and skimmed it from the surface with a vacuum truck.
Kessler says about two-thousand gallons have been removed so far.
(Kessler) "The diesel had some evaporation as well. There’s quite a bit of faster moving water so it emulsifies and the hope is that it will dissipate as it makes its way down. In fact there’s an access point down at the Connecticut River where the Black River comes in and there hasn’t been any indication of diesel down at that point."
(Host) Aside from an oil-coated duck that was sent to a veterinarian, Kessler says investigators have not found evidence that wildlife has been affected.
The state is working with local police on a criminal investigation of the incident.