Musky Fuel Spill!

By Dianne Sommers • Gannett New Jersey • September 16, 2008
WASHINGTON TWP. —A tanker truck carrying gasoline and diesel fuel overturned on Route 46 on Monday, spilling its contents onto the road and into a tributary of the Musconetcong River and causing the highway to be closed into the night, authorities said.
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Authorities are investigating to determine how much fuel the tanker was carrying. Hazardous material crews were expected to work overnight to contain the spill. The highway remained closed in both directions at 9:30 p.m, and some nearby homes were evacuated.

The accident occurred at 2:54 p.m. near Reservoir Road.

A truck owned by Linden-based Petroleum Carriers Inc. was traveling west on Route 46 when the driver lost control at the bottom of Hackettstown Mountain, where the vehicle overturned, blocking both lanes of the highway, said Capt. Jeffrey Paul, spokesman for the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

The 41-year-old driver, whose identity was being withheld pending the investigation, suffered a head injury and was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released, Paul said.

The tanker truck had a total capacity of 8,500 gallons, but it was unknown on Monday night how much it was carrying at the time of the crash, Paul said.

He said the tanker had three compartments with the capacity for 6,500 gallons of regular gasoline, 1,000 gallons of high-octane gas and 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

The truck's entire contents were released as a result of the accident and ran into a nearby tributary of the Musconetcong River, Paul said.

The cleanup was being coordinated by the Morris County Office of Health Management's hazardous materials team, which likely would work into the night, Paul said. Crews were using floating booms and absorbent mats on the waterway to minimize the spill's impact on the environment, he said.

"It will be an exhaustive cleanup process," he said.

In 2006 parts of the Musconetcong River were designated as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Workers began removing the truck from the road at 9:30 p.m.

No charges were filed Monday night.

When the accident occurred, multiple emergency crews were called to the scene because the flammable materials spilled "could have resulted in a catastrophic event," Paul said.

Seven fire departments responded: Washington Township, Long Valley, Fairmont, Schooley's Mountain, Budd Lake, Chester and Hackettstown; along with two Urban Area Security Initiative trucks from Morris Township and Parsippany that carried fire suppressing foam and other specialty items. Several ambulance and rescue squads also responded, along with township police.

In addition, teams from the Morris County Prosecutor's Office vehicular homicide and environmental crime units, the Morris County Sheriff's Office criminal investigation section, Morris County Department of Law and Public Safety and Office of Emergency Management.