Ohio residents are still dealing with thousands of gallons of uncollected fuel from a large spill earlier this month. On March 4th around 23,000 gallons of diesel fuel leaked from R&L Carriers facility in Wilmington, OH. The fuel reached the Clinton County waterway. The company deployed booms to contain the fuel after the initial leak and collected the majority of the fuel. However, residents are still dealing with about 5,000 gallons of fuel in Dutch Creek. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources reported 2,000 birds, fish and reptiles have died as a result of the spill.
An investigation into the leak discovered a port had been left open on one of the tanks. This allowed the diesel fuel to drain into the waterway. EPA is currently trying to determine why the retention pond didn’t stop the spill before it entered the water.
Residents near Dutch Creek still affected by oil spill from early March
