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Town reports cleanup after hydraulic oil spill in Gordon neighborhood; testing underway
Summary
Town staff said a USA Hauling truck spilled about 75 gallons of hydraulic fluid in a north-end Simsbury neighborhood; environmental contractor ESI and state DEEP responded and samples are being tested.
Town staff gave residents an update after a hydraulic fluid spill on Aug. 29 that affected streets in the Gordon neighborhood in north Simsbury. Tom Roy, Public Works (staff member), said the spill was the result of a broken hydraulic line on a waste-management vehicle and that approximately 75 gallons of fluid were released.
The company operating the vehicle, USA Hauling, began cleanup operations and secured an environmental contractor, ESI of South Windsor, to perform remediation under direction from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). The town’s environmental consultant, Atlas, also inspected the site to verify cleanup work and assess any potential long-term impact.
Roy told the board the material appeared to remain in roadway gutters and that preliminary observations indicated “minimal, if any, oil contacted with the ground.” Cleanup crews applied absorbent material and collected contaminated residue for proper disposal. Roy said crews also swept gutters and sampled catch basins and soils; results of soil and catch-basin testing were expected by the end of the week.
“DEEP was on-site… They required USA Hauling bring in an environmental contractor to clean this up,” Roy said. He added that USA Hauling has committed to fund the licensed environmental professional and the town’s consultant work. Town staff said rain over the weekend caused some oil sheen to reappear in cracks in the roadway, and crews continued to monitor and sample to verify there was no migration into waterways.
Residents expressed concern about groundwater or aquifer contamination and requested continued communication. Roy said the town had been sending email updates to residents in the affected area and would continue to share sampling results when available.
DEEP and town consultants will determine if further action is necessary based on lab results; town staff said they expected initial lab results within days. USA Hauling and its contractors are paying for the cleanup and testing under DEEP direction.
