PART TWO: STONY-BROOK MILLSTONE WATERSHED ASSOCIATION: Lake offers valuable ecosystem to Hightstown and the surrounding communities
By Amy Batista, Special Writer
Part two of the coverage of the oil leak.
HIGHTSTOWN — Pollution is common.
A dozen days after a slow-moving fuel oil leak reached Peddie Lake on Valentine’s Day, remnants of the substance remained on the water.
This week folks walked by Peddie Lake while some people paused for a moment and fed the birds.
Ducks and Canada geese swam through the fuel oil, thinly sitting on the water.
The fuel oil that lingered on the lake this week came from an outdoor residential tank at 132 Franklin St. first reported to the state Department of Environmental Protection on Jan. 23.
The substance began leaking into the ground at that time.
Larry Van Kirk, Hightstown fire chief, told the Herald Feb. 15, “It had been leaking for a while.”
This winter cold temperatures froze some of the fuel oil when it leaked, and when warmer weather arrived mid-February, as previously reported, the fuel oil, along with water from a recent snow, thawed and was carried away into nearby bodies of water.
A pungent smell filled the borough after sunset Feb. 14, drawing the attention of local firefighters who investigated.
At 6:52 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, 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 in the fuel oil leak investigation.
Emergency personnel placed filters on a nearby tributary when the fuel oil first was discovered on Hightstown’s water.
Hightstown police said last Friday that the leak was contained, the spill was mitigated, and there was no threat to public safety or health.
According to Hightstown tax records, the homeowners are Manuel Mendieta and Bianca Zhuzhingo.
The DEP’s Emergency Response Team met with a member of the Hightstown Environmental Commission at the scene Feb. 21.
Additional linked filters then were placed on the surface of Peddie Lake to absorb fuel oil.
Barbara Jones, chairwoman of the Environmental Commission, told the Herald on Feb. 19 that the commission was not included in what was going on with the leak at the time.
”Their oversight with this fuel leak has been critical to our knowledge of the event and the positive outcome we see as the result,” Ms. Jones told the Herald. “The Hightstown Environmental Commission will now be monitoring the remediation efforts to make sure they are completed.”
Keith LePrevost, secretary of the Hightstown Environmental Commission, met with Joseph Hoyle and Patrick DiGangi from the DEP on Feb. 21. George Chin, borough construction official, joined them.
Mr. LePrevost said in his report released to the Herald, “The owner of the property met us to review what happened and what needs to be done. The owner had a leaking exterior heating oil tank that was contaminating the soils surrounding the tank.”
His report said the homeowner failed to comply with the DEP directive to remove the leaking tank. The homeowner had had until Feb. 21 to have the tank removed, the soils cleaned and protective measures in place, which was ordered by the DEP.
”The DEP called in (its) own contractor who will take measures this afternoon to stabilize the situation before this weekend’s rain,” Mr. LePrevost stated in the report.
The environmental cleanup company removed the oil tank and the affected soil from around the tank and installed protective booms at the tank location, the lower portion of the driveway and the lake, according to the report.
”The property owner was given the choice of using their own contractor or DEP’s contractor to clean up the site, which had to start (soon),” Mr. Chin said. “They chose to pay DEP’s contractor instead of using their own contractor.”
”They have done soil auger tests in several locations to determine the extent of the soil infiltration,” Mr. LePrevost said in his report. “The major cause of the spill has been dealt with, and the DEP will follow up on any further actions.”
”The property owner owns the tank and is responsible for the tank,” Mr. Chin told the Herald on Monday.
132 Franklin St., home to Mr. Mendieta and Ms. Zhuzhingo, sits near Peddie Lake, close to the Hightstown Memorial Library and Raquel’s Beauty Salon.
As reported in part one of this report, Larry Ragonese, DEP press director, said his agency was informed of the leak on Jan. 23. The DEP then contacted the homeowners, following a protocol under the Underground Storage Tank Program.
”No one dropped the ball,” Mr. Ragonese said, adding that similar cases “are somewhat routine.
This winter Petro Oil was installing a temporary tank at 132 Franklin to provide heat for residents, according to Mr. Chin.
”It appears that after the temporary tank was installed, another oil delivery was made into the old leaking tank,” Mr. Chin told the Herald.
Petro Oil did not respond to repeated requests for comment as of press time Feb.28.
Jan. 23, Mr. Chin was called to the residence to investigate.
”The above-ground tank had a small hole, which leaked oil into the ground,” Mr. Chin said, adding that the tank “was empty” upon his inspection.
”I do not know the exact amount (of oil leaked),” he said, adding he found an “oil stain on the ground.”
”It appears to have only leaked into ground,” at that point, he said.
Mr. Chin reported his findings to the DEP.
”I’m required to make sure that the leak was reported to DEP, which was since there was a case number,” Mr. Chin said.
”On Feb. 1, after investigating the oil smell complaint, I left a message at DEP to inform them of the oil smell complaint and to inquire how much time the owner of 132 Franklin St. had to clean up the leak,” Mr. Chain stated.
Resident Sean Baldwin, of Franklin Street, called to complain about the strange smell on Feb. 1 to the borough.
Mr. Baldwin told the Herald that he had spoken to the DEP regarding the fuel oil leak Feb. 2, and he, too, was given a case number.
”They were told by us and by George — we talked about a month ago — that we have a problem, and they needed to clean it up, and they did nothing,” Mr. Baldwin said. “I have been on their backs since it happened. I didn’t know about it because we had that big frost. I came in one day and smelled the oil in the back.”
According to Mr. Baldwin, his family has been experiencing headaches from the fumes of the fuel oil.
And despite the response team’s recent efforts, the smell is still there, according to Mr. Baldwin on Sunday.
”There is a response team cleaning up,” Mr. Baldwin said in an email. “Our house still smells of oil. However, the oil odor has diminished somewhat.”
Jennifer Coffey, policy director of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, expressed concern about the ecosystem of the lake and ensuring cleanup actions are taken.
”Ensuring that Peddie Lake is clean is a high priority for the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association because the lake is a valuable ecosystem and is important to Hightstown and the surrounding communities,” Ms. Coffey told the Herald on Feb. 19.
”We conduct bacterial and chemical monitoring to make certain that the lake is safe for the summer triathlon and for the animals that depend on it,” Ms. Coffey added.
Ms. Coffey continued, “Any pollution of the lake is of concern to us. I have spoken with representatives of the (state) Department of Environmental Protection and reached out to borough officials and understand that they are taking steps to ensure the spill is cleaned up. We will continue to monitor the situation and make sure that those cleanup actions are implemented swiftly.”
Jen Samuel, managing editor, contributed to this article.