Spill response team cleaned up contaminated soil along Route 73
By Gwendolyn Craig
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is investigating who dumped a bunch of 55-gallon rusty oil drums on wilderness land in Keene.
The seven drums, one leaking tar, were discovered along an embankment off state Route 73 last month.
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The DEC’s spill response team with the Division of Environmental Remediation responded to a call on July 23 reporting the drums and found them in the Giant Mountain Wilderness about two miles southeast of Chapel Pond.
About two gallons of tar had spilled from one of the drums that appeared to be full with about five gallons of residual material, the DEC said. Six of the drums were empty. Though the drums were in view of a tributary to the North Fork of the Bouquet River, the DEC said there was no indication of water contamination.
NRC East Environmental Services cleaned up the site on July 24 by scraping the contaminated soil and removing the drums, according to DEC records. The spill cleanup cost an estimated $5,000.
The DEC is awaiting a final spill closure report and is probing to find those responsible. The department could issue a violation under a section of Navigation Law, which could carry a fine of more than $25,000 for each offense.
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New York’s spill hotline receives about 16,000 calls annually, according to the DEC. To report a spill, call 1-800-457-7362.
All photos: The state Department of Environmental Conservation and contractors respond to seven abandoned drums, some leaking tar, off an embankment on State Route 73 in Keene. Photo courtesy of NYSDEC
Looks like the drums have been there for a long time. Would not be surprised if they were dumped during the upgrading of Rt 73 prior to the 1980 OWGS. Lots of habit destruction occurred during that project, with not much oversight.
Hi Todd, I disagree with you, the spilled black tar looks freshly leaked with little or no forest debris on top of it, indicating that the drums have been illegally dumped there fairly recently (days or weeks).
Hmmm. The 3rd picture of three drums on the steep slope (with tar visibly leaking from the highest one) have been there for several years at least, judging by the forest debris. The drums are very rusty and corroded, they’d be a lot more damaged if they’d rolled down to that location recently.