Waste removal has begun at Eureka Resources on Second Street, site of a waste oil spill that got into the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in August, the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said.

The removal of the waste was needed following an incident that happened on Aug. 17, when an estimated 16,000 gallons of oil and gas wastewater spilled from a corroded storage tank at the closed oil and wastewater treatment facility at 315 Second St.

On Oct. 27, the department conducted a follow-up inspection at the facility with the maintenance manager. Dustan R. Karschner, environmental protection specialist, noted in a report that the N3 tank of the facility had a sampling port that broke, resulting in a portion of the contents of the tank to release to the facility floor and containment.

The tank was entirely holding waste oil, he wrote.

Waste removal began with three truck loads departing for disposal.

At this time, six truck loads of wastewater per day are scheduled to be withdrawn from the facility for disposal. Currently, only wastewater is being removed, no waste oil has been removed, he stated.

Current conditions at the site have remained the same as was documented during the past couple of visits.

The wastewater material is being trucked to Kleese Disposal in Ohio, a permitted disposal site.

Eureka is also evaluating other disposal and fluid management options that are acceptable under the regulations, including reuse within the natural gas industry.

The roll off for waste from the cleanup was moved inside the building. Cleanup within the building is about the best it will get, according to the inspection report.

If any additional cleanup work or changes occur it will get documented in future reports.

An Administrative Order has been filed as of Aug. 19 for the facility to clean up and remove all waste from the site within 30 days. The facility provided a proposed timeline for removal of all waste from their three facilities. The violation for not complying with the order remains outstanding, DEP stated.

Discovery and emergency response

Two river fishermen discovered the black gooey substance when they were fishing.

DEP’s Emergency Response Team found a sampling port failed in a corroded 26,000 gallon storage tank at the Eureka plant that spurted oil and gas wastewater beyond the containment around the tank and into storm drains that ended in the river above the Hepburn Street dam.

Aerial surveys by the Williamsport Bureau of Fire found an oil slick extended downstream several miles into Loyalsock Township.

The cleanup involved the Williamsport Sanitary Authority to stop the wastewater from draining into the river and start the process of cleaning up the spill outside the treatment facility.

A contractor for the authority, Eagle Response Services, stopped the leak in the storage tank inside the Eureka facility at the direction of the authority, cleaned the storm drain and pipes into a pump station that pushes water into the river.

DEP’s Waste Management Program officials will continue to follow up.