DEP Secretary E. Christopher Abruzzo visited the department's Southcentral Regional Office on May 16 to present certificates of recognition to those staff who participated in the cleanup efforts following a large tanker truck fire that happened a year ago on an overpass of Interstate-81 in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County. 

The fire occurred after a tanker truck carrying 7,500 gallons of fuel overturned and caught fire, leading to closing of a widely used ramp to to Route 322 from the city for months.

More than two dozen DEP staff worked with PennDOT, area emergency responders and the Dauphin County Hazardous Materials unit to place containment booms and search multiple outfalls for contamination as diesel fuel made its way into a storm drain and into the nearby Paxton Creek. The area is located beside the Wildwood Wetlands and fuel eventually seeped into Wildwood Lake.

Over the initial response and weeks and months following the incident, DEP staff:

- Assisted with the cleanup/remediation of wetland vegetation;

- Assisted with asbestos abatement and demolition notices prior to demolition of the bridge structure;

- Ensured the surface water intakes for Steelton and Harrisburg were not affected by the contamination;

- Ensured that potentially contaminated concrete was properly disposed; and

- Provided Act 2 clean-up/remediation assistance.

(Reprinted from the May 29 DEP News.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

6/2/2014