Bristolville oil spill intentional, police say

BRISTOLVILLE, Ohio - The Trumbull county sheriff's department says it appears an oil spill Wednesday in Bristolville was an act of vandalism.
More than 1,600 gallons of oil spilled from an oil storage tank into a creek in Trumbull County.
Mike Settles of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency tells 21 News that the oil that settled around the tank has all been cleaned up, but the oil in the stream will take several more days.
Settles said this is because the area is too remote for a truck to access, so it will have to be cleaned up manually with absorbent pads.
The watchful eye of a resident living along Mahan Denman Road Northeast in Bristolville is what alerted authorities to a leaking oil storage tank.
"Earlier this morning the EMA director received a call from a resident about a possible spill or a large puddle of oil," said Kevin Kuriatnyk, Trumbull County Hazmat Team Captain.
When the Bristolville Fire Department arrived on the scene they quickly determined it was in fact an oil spill and oil was flowing down a nearby creek.
Trumbull County Hazmat, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources were all called to the scene.
When Hazmat crews arrived on the scene, they walked the stream to see just how far the oil had traveled. They walked to a point about 3/4 of a mile from the oil well.
"There are quite a few pockets, natural pockets along where the crude has gathered," Kuriatnyk said.
Kuriatnyk said those pockets have helped authorities contain the spill.
The EPA has seen no evidence of fish kill and does not believe there is any concern of drinking water becoming contaminated.
"We respond to assist the fire department in mitigating the leak and to contain it until a cleanup crew can come in. EPA is in charge of the clean up to make sure everything is restored to its natural state as much as possible," Kuriatnyk said.
The EPA has hired ChemTron to clean up the spill. They were to arrive on scene by late Wednesday afternoon.
It's expected the clean up could take several days.