A Slick Start To The New Year

Oil overflow at Botelle Elementary School

By Veronica Burns

Cleanup work was still ongoing at Botelle Elementary School following an oil spill, which occurred in the early hours of December 13, just before a major snow storm was due to hit Norfolk.

In early January, Environmental Services of Watertown, hired by the oil company responsible for the spill, were continuing to scrape away layers of contaminated soil. So far, three dumpsters have been hauled away, with more yet to be taken up. “The cleanup has been handled very well,” says Debbie Catuccio, an emergency response coordinator with the Department of the Environment (DEP). “It should not be an issue as far as kids coming and going are concerned.” She did advise however, that no children be allowed to play in or near the soil.

The mishap was the result of an error on the part of the delivery driver from Team Energy Inc. of Watertown, CT. Botelle school receives its oil supplies from a consortium, with the result that different companies deliver oil. For Team Energy, this was a first and memorable visit.

According to a report by Botelle principal Timothy Lee, the operator mistakenly commenced the refueling of the diesel tank instead of the fuel oil tank. There are two underground tanks behind the school, one is a 500-gallon tank for the diesel generator and the other is an 8,000-gallon heating oil tank. “He had never delivered to our site before,” says Lee, “and basically tried to put 3,000 gallons of oil into a 500-gallon tank. It overflowed, ran off down the hill and was a real mess.” An estimated 400 to 600 gallons of oil were discharged outside the tank in two streams, each about four to six feet wide. As soon as the driver realized his mistake, he shut off the valve and called for help.

Machinery and manpower remediate the effects of a December oil spill at Betelle Elementary School.

There were concerns about the oil ending up in the brook at the bottom of the hill. Lee commends the prompt response of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department, which arrived within fifteen minutes. They employed special booms at the brook to protect the water. In addition, town crews dumped sand to further isolate the flow of oil. The DEP arrived to supervise the proceedings. Peter Viltrakis, owner of Team Energy, Inc., came to Norfolk as soon as he got the call. “I was very concerned,” he admits, “we have never had a spill like this before. I wanted to be on the scene as soon as possible.” He brought a grading excavator and began to remove soil from the area near the tennis courts.

NVFD Chief Daryl Byrne said that department training in hazardous materials paid off. “They know how to identify chemicals and how to respond,” Byrne says. “They did everything perfectly, just like clockwork.” He added that the NVFD were there from 4:45 in the morning until the early afternoon. “That’s a real commitment from a volunteer fire department.”

For Botelle’s superintendent, George Counter, the accident had an aura of deja vu about it. “2005 was the sewer backup,” says Counter. “2006 the water main broke. Last year, we had an electric surge. Now we have the oil spill. It’s always something!”

The work of mitigation will continue into the spring. Catuccio says that the soil will be retested then and any residual contamination will be removed. Meantime, the good news for the school is that the oil company’s insurer will be footing the bill.

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