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/ CBS Pittsburgh
LOWER BURRELL, Pa. (KDKA) – On Monday afternoon, local emergency crews and members of the Department of Environmental Protection rushed to the Braeburn Alloy Steel Plant to stop a hydraulic oil leak that was making its way into the Allegheny River.
Crews were able to cut off the leak and by Monday night, DEP took over the scene and began trying to both clean up and contain the oil that got out.
Captain Evan Clark of the Three Rivers Waterkeepers says that remnants of the spill were still visible both in and out of the water on Tuesday morning.
“I went up there around dawn this morning to take a look and see how the river looked,” said Captain Clark. “Unfortunately, I was seeing oil on the left descending bank of the river, down below the damn for two miles.”
The leak came from two 7,000-gallon tanks and a storage pit, somewhere inside the mill, though it is not known how the leak occurred or how much oil made it out into the river.
DEP said in an email to KDKA on Tuesday that the hydraulic oil is a non-hazardous hydrocarbon that can be harmful to aquatic life, but they said, they haven’t observed any impacts to fish or animals as of yet.
The DEP also said that the river would disperse a lot of the oil that was spilled and made its way out into the water. They also added that downstream drinking water facilities have been alerted to the spill.
Captain Clark says that the rivers have gotten a lot healthier over the years, and it is tough to see spills like this that could potentially set back the river’s ecosystem, especially downriver.
“Sometimes these effects are long-lasting, and we can’t see everything that is going on,” said Captain Clark. “I have spent a lot of time in that area, and I know it is a zone where a lot of people go and fish. Right below [Allegheny Lock and Dam #4] is a great fishing spot.”
This is the second time this year that the Braeburn Alloy Steel Plant has made news. On Wednesday, January 22nd, one person was killed, and multiple others were injured in an explosion inside the mill. It is not known if somehow these two instances are in any way related.
Chris DeRose is a reporter for KDKA-TV. He has been a reporter, producer, host and actor for over 15 years, starting his professional career in Chicago back in 2007.
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