PART ONE: Fuel oil came from outdoor tank at Franklin Street home
By Jen Samuel, Managing Editor
HIGHTSTOWN — Fuel oil leaked into the environment this winter from an outdoor residential tank at 132 Franklin St.
George Chin, borough construction official, told the Herald that the leak was reported by Petro Oil to the state Department of Environmental Protection on Jan. 23.
A pungent smell filled the borough after sunset Feb. 14, drawing the attention of local firefighters who investigated.
At 6:52 p.m. Feb. 14 the Hightstown fire chief initiated a response for an unknown substance found in Peddie Lake, the Hightstown Police Department said in a statement.
In addition to Hightstown Engine Company No. 1, the Hamilton Township Hazardous Materials Response Team and the DEP responded, police said.
East Windsor Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 firefighters assisted.
Linked filters were placed by firefighters to skim the fuel from the water.
Concerned residents on Hutchinson Street were told by emergency personnel that firefighters were investigating the source of the leak.
Larry Van Kirk, Hightstown fire chief, told the Herald Feb. 15, “It had been leaking for a while.”
He said the leaking fuel had in essence frozen to the ground, then when warmer temperatures came, it thawed.
”The wonderful temperatures we have been having softened the ground to the point where (the fuel oil) made its way to the lake,” Chief Van Kirk said.
Witnesses on the ground said the fuel hit Peddie Lake and began flowing into Rocky Brook on Hutchinson Street.
The fire chief said there were no injured animals and he estimated 15 East Windsor and 20 Hightstown firefighters responded.
”Right now it is in the hands of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,” Chief Van Kirk Said last Friday.
Said Hightstown Mayor Steven Kirson, “It is not a borough affair.
While speaking to the Herald on Feb. 15, the mayor added, “No residential proprieties are in danger.”
Police said the substance was determined to be fuel oil used to heat the residence of 132 Franklin St.
The Herald was unable to reach Manuel Mendieta and Bianca Zhuzhingo, who live at the address.
The home sits near Peddie Lake, close to the Hightstown Memorial Library and the Raquel’s Salon.
Also Petro Oil did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Police said the leak was contained, the spill was mitigated, and there was no threat to public safety or health as a result of the Feb. 14 incident.
”Jan. 23 we got a call about a potential leak,” DEP Press Director Larry Ragonese said Wednesday.
He said the DEP then contacted the homeowners, following a protocol under the Underground Storage Tank Program.
”No one dropped the ball,” Mr. Ragonese said.
He confirmed that the leak came from an above-ground tank at 132 Franklin St.
”There could be hundreds of cases a year, they are somewhat routine,” Mr. Ragonese said.
While speaking to the Herald on Feb. 15, he said the fuel came from a 275-gallon tank. He said it was empty upon DEP arrival Feb. 14.
Wednesday he called the incident “a minor leak.”
”The impact was virtually minimum,” he said.
Mr. Ragonese continued, “The only way to prevent something like that is for people not to have oil tanks,” adding that some folks also take issue with natural gas.
He said the tank was 7 to 8 years old.
”This was not a major emergency,” Mr. Ragonese said. Since the Feb. 14 incident, the “homeowner is apparently hiring a company” to clean up the ground, he said.
In terms of how much leaked from the time it was reported Jan. 23 by Petro Oil to when firefighters investigated on Feb. 14, “We estimate about 30 gallons (penetrated the soil). We can’t be precise.” Mr. Ragonese called the 30-gallon figure into the ground a “guestimate.”
After leak was reported to the DEP on Jan. 23, he said the homeowner, directed by the DEP, was planning to fix it “and three weeks later we got a call that there was oil on the lake.”
”With the rain and precipitation some of that oil was washed out to the lake and there was a sheen found on the lake that was too thin to be recoverable,” Mr. Ragonese said. “There was nothing that could be done … other than (it being) evaporated by the sun or by air.”
As of press time, the DEP had been scheduled to meet with the Hightstown Environmental Commission at 132 Franklin St. on Feb. 21.
This is part one of a two part report. Special writer Amy Batista contributed to this article.

