Sunday, May 19, 2013

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Intentional Oil Spill at Pond Near Cooper Landing
A DEC official responded to find that the one-acre pond was covered in, what he called, a “rainbow blue” oil sheen that could still be seen days later.
By KTVA CBS 11


Clean up continued well into Monday evening after a man intentionally spilled oil into Quartz Creek Pond near Cooper Landing on the Kenai Peninsula last week.

The Department of Environmental Conservation was first alerted to the problem last week when a caller said oil had been dumped into the pond. A 55-gallon drum was found on the shoreline.

A DEC official responded to find that the one-acre pond was covered in, what he called, a “rainbow blue” oil sheen that could still be seen days later.

Once it was determined that the spill was intentional, Alaska State Troopers took over the investigation.

There was a company name on the oil drum itself, but troopers declined to identify it.

Contractors spent the day cleaning up the oil with the help of inflatable boats, boom and absorbent pads.

There appears to be no immediate impact to any wildlife.

“No, there will be no impact to drinking water in the area. I'm not sure how close the nearest well is, but it's quite a ways away. We don't believe that any contaminants will leave the pond,” said Steven Russell, environmental program manager.

Clean-up crews arrived Saturday and are expected to wrap up the bulk of their work Tuesday.