Home heating oil spills into Schuylkill River in Center City
CENTER CITY (WPVI) -- Officials are on the scene where home heating oil is spilling into the Schuylkill River in Center City Philadelphia.
State officials say an estimated 4,200 gallons of heating oil spilled from a tank onto nearby CSX rail property in the 2400 block of Market Street and then into the Schuylkill River.
Federal, state and city agencies plan to deploy absorbent materials to the river and ice and will also use vacuum trucks to remove oil trapped in ice.
State officials said most of the fuel oil "appears to have been trapped by the heavy snow," which is hampering access to the site.
Officials said about 200 gallons of red dye fuel contained in the ice on the river can be seen, but there is no oil sheen in open water.
The Philadelphia Water Department says its intakes on the Schuylkill are above this point, so there was no threat to the drinking water supply.
Photo credit: JamesPLewis.com
