Crime & Safety

2,300 Gallons Leaked, Gas Pipeline Company Says

About 258 gallons recovered so far.

In a press release issued Saturday afternoon, Buckeye Pipe Line Co. said it has determined about 55 barrels of gasoline —2,310 gallons— leaked from the pipeline, a quantity much higher than initially reported.

The determination was made from the ongoing environmental investigation at the site, as well as further analysis of the pipeline's pressure monitoring data.

The company said it has notified the National Response Center, and local, state and federal officials of the amount.

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The company has been working on cleaning up the leak for a week, and said the Spill Management Team recovered 268 gallons of gasoline as of 5:15 p.m. Friday. As part of the cleanup, the work is vacuuming gasoline liquid, as well as excavating soil with gas in it. 

"Buckeye’s Spill Management Team has secured the affected area and continues to work with local fire, emergency management, and law enforcement officials as well as relevant state and federal authorities around the clock to assess and remediate environmental impact," the company's statement said. "Current testing indicates that there has been no impact to the surrounding community around the location of the release, and the company is not aware of any public safety risk at this time."

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The pipeline is shutdown for the work, which is expected to take about 10 days.

The company said its "primary concerns are ensuring the safety of the public and responders as well as minimizing the impact to the environment," and local residents in nearby neighborhoods are anxious about the potential for contamination of groundwater. The area is being monitored for any contamination by the Hillsborough OEM and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

This article was edited to correct an error in the amount of gas leaked.


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