Shelburne, New Hampshire oil spill: 3,000 gallons released

Cleanup efforts continue after last month's oil spill at pipeline pumphouse

Cleanup efforts continue after last month's oil spill at pipeline pumphouse

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Cleanup efforts continue after last month's oil spill at pipeline pumphouse

Excavators are continuing to remove soil from the site of a pipeline pumphouse one month after a reported oil spill at the facility.

According to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, approximately 3,000 gallons of oil spilled onto the ground at the Portland Pipeline Corporation pumphouse on Route 2 last month.

The pipeline carries crude oil from Portland, Maine, to Montreal, Canada, running through about 26 miles in New Hampshire.

Gardner Warr, an investigator with the Department of Environmental Services, said cleanup procedures have been ongoing since the spill, and an investigation is beginning into the cause and any environmental impacts.

"Time matters, pre-planning matters, relationships and an understanding of the contaminate concern matter greatly," Warr said.

Leithan Slade, a spokesperson for the pipeline's parent company, said in a statement that staff responded to a change in pressure at the pump station, and cleanup activities began immediately.

"Clean-up is progressing and Portland Pipe Line Corporation's top priority remains ensuring the health and safety of people in our workplace and in the communities where we operate. We continue to keep the appropriate regulatory agencies updated on the clean-up," Slade wrote.

According to DES, oil was spotted at the surface roughly one hour after the low pressure was detected.

Containment floats were placed in the waterway behind the pump station, which sits next to the Androscoggin River. According to DES, 1,200 tons of oil-impacted soil has been excavated and transported to Mt. Carbury Landfill in Berlin.