Meredith Bay Fuel Spill

[Bear Guy]

" A fuel leak into Lake Winnipesaukee was contained Wednesday, but crews were still working to clean it up." Minimal environmental impact expected.

Full story at:
http://www.thewmurchannel.com/news/3006005/detail.html

[ITD]

"Meredith police pulled the tractor-trailer over Tuesday night after noticing it was leaking fuel. Because the next delivery was to Meredith Ford, the driver parked it there, and whatever was left in the tank leaked out."

Does anybody else have a problem with this statement, what did the driver think was going to happen to the rest of the fuel? Why was he allowed to continue driving after he was pulled over? While I'm generally against fees and fines, I think a large fine is in order here, maybe the next time the driver will call a mechanic or the fire department who could have stopped the leak or at least pumped the fuel out of the tank.

[Ambassador RAI]

The real problem here is the fact the vehicle once stopped (no matter where it was) was not contained or off loaded immediately. The leak was allowed to continue and would contaminate any area ( and the ground water around the area) where it was leaking. Was NH DOT contacted at the time of the stop? Did they respond to the scene? Who authorized the vehicle to be secured at Meredith Ford? The tax payers of Meredith should have these questions answered.

[GWC...]

Why is the driver solely at fault?

Once the police stopped the truck, it became their responsibility to protect the area. They have the means and knowledge to contact the appropriate agencies to prevent a Lake contamination situation. So, why did this not happen? Who’s really at fault once the leak was detected? Sounds like more than the trucking company is at fault.

Something to consider…

If a drunk driver is stopped by the police and allowed to proceed and is involved in an accident, fatal or not, is the PD not responsible? Does the PD not have a responsibility to protect, once they are aware of a potentially dangerous situation?

Just my opinion, yours may differ…

[RI Swamp Yankee]

I know there are lots of communities prepared for just such an event. I don't know if Meredith has a Hazmat team but there must be one in the area somewhere. A 200 gallon spill could be stopped and cleaned up quickly if reported.
Why would Meredith police just leave the truck there without reporting the leak to the proper people?

[JDeere]

Seems to me the leak is being taken care. It is too bad that it happened but what more does anyone want to be done?

>>Officials said the film on the lake looked worse than it really was. They said it was a thin sheen of fuel that hasn't penetrated the surface. It shouldn't affect the organisms below the surface, and the environmental impact should be minimal, officials said.


The state is classifying the spill as accidental, and the trucking company is cooperating and taking care of the cleanup costs, which could reach several thousand dollars.<<

[ITD]

Gwc,

You're right, the driver isn't solely at fault, but he is responsible for the mess and supposedly a professional. Should he be personally liable, I don't think so, but his employer should be (it also sounds like they are stepping up and taking care of it). Who knows what the police were thinking, they could have and probably should have made sure it was taken care of. We'll probably never know why he was left to keep going, maybe he told the Police his stop was in Meridith and he would get it taken care of there and the officer cut him a break. But the bottom line is the driver left the truck and the leak wasn't stopped.

Anyhow sounds like the state has classified it as an accident and that's it. :rolleyes:

[Lakegeezer]

Yeah, but the real important question is; will it make the ice go away any faster? ;)

[ITD]

I sure hope so!!!!!! :D

[Smith Point]

they should have set the lake ablaze, not only would it evaporate the gasoline faster and have a lesser invnvironmental impact on the lake but hopfuly it would have melted a little ice in the prosess.

[Mink Islander]

Jack: Flammable liquids leaking on the ground from a 200 gallon fuel tank meets most folks standard for a real emergency. You're right, no one has all the facts here but mostly they're just venting their frustration, right? Nothin wrong or particularly partisan about that. An oil slick of diesel fuel is hardly the image we all want to see in Meredith Bay.

Seems pretty obvious though that between the police officer and the truck driver this should have been remediated immediately and wasn't. And that's a shame. 'nuf said, no?

[ITD]

:eek: Please don't call me a democrat.

[Mink Islander]

Don't worry. :rolleyes: