60,000 Gallons Of Contaminated Water Collected After Chemical Spill

The clean up from Friday night’s chemical spill into the Otter Creek and the Delaware River continued Monday.

The U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the response to the spill, said 60,000 gallons of contaminated water had been collected from the waterways.

At least 8,100 gallons and up to 12,000 gallons of a latex-related chemical spilled from the Trinseo Altuglas facility on the Dow Chemical property off Veterans Highway (Route 413) into the Otter Creek and then into the Delaware River. The solution was 50 percent water and 50 percent a latex polymer made up of butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, and methyl methacrylate monomer, according to reports.

A county spokesperson previously said the chemicals are non-toxic to humans at the levels in the waterways.

U.S. Coast Guard officials said the cleanup efforts are largely focused on the storm drain system and outflow system along the Otter Creek where the chemical spilled into.

“Coast Guard pollution responders conducted shoreline patrols Sunday morning and observed no visible product located along the Delaware River,” a statement said.

Federal authorities said there have been no reports of impacts to wildlife.

On Monday mid-morning, contracted cleanup crews were seen looking into the creek and working on large containment and filtration systems that were brought it.

Municipal, county, and water system officials across the Levittown area have stated the drinking water is safe. The Delaware River intakes in Bristol Borough, which sit slightly upriver of the spill, have been closed since shortly after the spill was reported and have not reopened.

“There continues to be no known adverse impacts to drinking water in Bucks County,” county emergency management officials said just before noon Monday.

“The water suppliers in the area reported this morning that contaminants from this weekend’s spill are not being detected near the intakes for their plants along the river. They say contaminants also have not been detected in the drinking water supply,” they added.

Aqua Pennsylvania, which serves water customers Bensalem Township, Bristol Borough, and part of Bristol Township, has been conducting tests and has not detected any of the spilled chemicals in their supply.

“We’re not detecting any of the spill chemicals in our drinking water. That’s because our operations team acted immediately to prevent the chemicals from ever entering our source water,” Aqua said in a statement.

The Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority, the Township of Falls Authority, the Lower Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority, and Pennsylvania American Water, which all also serve the Levittown area, have not issued any restrictions, advisories, or warnings in the wake of the spill.

The Philadelphia Water Department issued a precautionary bottled water advisory for part of Sunday, but the advisory lapsed by late afternoon and officials said the city water was safe after testing.

Trinseo Altuglas, the company responsible for the spill, issued a statement on Monday morning.

A pipe burst at the facility on the Dow Chemical property has been reported to have caused the spill.

“Some of the material overflowed the on-site containment system and entered a storm drain, where it flowed to Otter Creek and then to the Delaware River,” the company said in their statement.

In addition, the company said: “The latex emulsion is a white liquid that is used in various consumer goods. Its pigmentation makes the water-soluble material visible in surface water. Altuglas and regulatory agencies are testing water samples in the surrounding area to confirm that the material is not a threat to people or wildlife.”

Trinseo Altuglas, which employs 110 people at their Bristol Township facility, said they alerted officials of the spill and immediately began work to mitigate it.

“The release of material has been stopped and our efforts are now focused on testing the local waterways,” said Trinseo CEO Frank Bozich. “We are conducting a thorough assessment of all of our systems and processes to identify and address potential vulnerabilities and will take the steps necessary to close any gaps, and we are grateful for the fast response and professionalism of our local first responders, as well as the efforts of the U.S. EPA, the Pennsylvania DEP and the United States Coast Guard.”

The U.S. Coast Guard and the Bucks County Special Operations Team have been working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to respond to the spill.

Along the Delaware River in Bristol Township’s Maple Beach section, Kaseem Newton, a Philadelphia resident who works in Bristol Township, was surveying the waterway. He said the water looked clear, but he harbored concerns about drinking tap water.

“It looks safe and doesn’t smell, but I don’t know if I’m ready to drink from my faucet yet,” he said. “I think I’m going to use bottles for a few days.”

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