Overturned Tanker Leaks 30 Gallons of Waste Oil Near Watershed

(TNS) – A tanker overturned in Glen Burnie Wednesday , leaking an estimated 30 gallons of waste oil near a stream within the Patapsco Tidal Watershed, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.

Fire department officials were alerted of the crash shortly before 2 p.m. on the exit ramp from Ordnance Road to southbound Maryland Route 10.

When first responders arrived, they found the tanker turned off the road and its driver trapped inside. After taking off the vehicle’s windshield, fire officials were able to rescue the driver, who was transported to Baltimore Shock Trauma Center out of precaution. No serious injuries were reported at the scene.

Five units from the Maryland Department of the Environment’s emergency response team also went to the crash site, according to Jay Apperson, a department spokesperson.

Apperson said the tanker was carrying 6,500 gallons of waste oil when it overturned, adding the 30 gallons of spillage were contained to a ditch.

A contractor associated with the tanker’s parent company was on the scene to address the removal of contaminated soil, Apperson said.

MDE expected the cleanup to be completed by Wednesday evening.

Though the ramp where the tanker flipped is located about one mile from Furnace Creek , Apperson said “no risks…have been seen” to the nearby water.

From 2008 to 2012, the Anne Arundel County Department of Health discouraged direct contact with the Furnace Creek waters due to “inconsistent and inconclusive bacteria levels.” During that time, no restrictions were placed on fishing, crabbing or boating.

The county’s program monitoring recreational water quality was discontinued in 2013 but according to their website, the following healthy swimming warning is still applied to the area: “Natural water bodies can contain bacteria, viruses or other harmful microorganisms. Common problems associated with swimming in contaminated water are ear, eye and skin infections. Diarrhea and other water-related illnesses can occur from accidentally swallowing contaminated water. Disease-causing microorganisms can also enter the body through cuts and scrapes.

___

©2023 The Capital (Annapolis, Md.)
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.