The initial cleanup of a gasoline and diesel spill on March 10 in the Town of Crawford may take a month.                                                                                                                    
Approximately 7,000 gallons of gasoline and 2,000 gallons of diesel were leaked after a Terpening Trucking tanker truck overturned on NYS Route 17K on March 10.                                                                                                                                                                                        
On the first day of the spill, the DEC, the New York State (NYS) Department of Transportation, the NYS Office of Emergency Management, the NYS Police, the NYS Office of Fire Prevention and Control, Orange County, the Bullville Fire Department and other local responders arrived on scene to ensure the area was secure for the safety of the community and to start the cleanup.                                                                                                                                                                 
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is overseeing the ongoing cleanup, which Environmental Products and Services of Vermont and American Petroleum Equipment and Construction are completing.                                 

The spill impacted two homes, owned by Ann Buckmaster at 1956 NYS Route 17K and Christopher Malley at 2027 State Route 17K, which is a rental property. Trucks blocked Buckmaster’s driveway during the cleanup process before the companies expanded her driveway to allow her free access to her property.                                                                                                                                                               

The tenants and all of the contents of 2027 State Route 17K were removed from the house. Brian Brundige, Terpening Operations and Safety Manager, said at the March 21 town board meeting the family was still displaced, and Terpening was working with the family to find a new residence.                                   

“We greatly regret the impact on the local community,” Brundige said. “Obviously it was not our intention to affect anybody’s daily lives in this regard, but speaking for Terpening Trucking, we’ll do everything in our power to correct the situation to everybody’s satisfaction, including the DEC, who is monitoring our daily activities.”                                                                                                        

Of the six wells tested, gas has been detected in one well on Malley’s property. Three and a half acres have been impacted by the spill, Brundige said.                                                                                                                                                               

Currently, the companies are excavating for contaminated soils and vacuuming as part of the cleanup process. They also placed soft and hard booms and copper dams to halt and soak up product. The soil that is being excavated will be replaced with the same soil composition.                                                    

“We’re working to recover every drop,” Brundige said.                                                     

Brundige said the immediate clean up and recovery could take a month, after which the DEC will switch to weekly, monthly, semi-annually and annual well inspections.