DEP CALLED---Le Tort Spring Run, 2/24/2014

[Night_Stalker]

Yesterday I met a friend at the Le Tort near Carlisle Pike. Along South Middlesex Road there is a pull off/parking area that had a large amount of motor oil dumped on top off the un-plowed snow. There is a drainage pipe that empties into the Le Tort under South Middlesex Road. Rainbow oil reflections and black thick sludge were mixed through out the parking lot.

The Le Tort was cloudy from the snow run off. It had a lot of silt visible from the bank (not normal). Additionally, I witness a very un-healthy sucker (large blotchy discolored patches on its length) about a foot from the bank. While looking at the sucker, I saw a syringe floating past. There were a couple downed branches that had become holding spots for surface scum...bottles and junk that washed in.

THE WORST I HAVE EVER SEEN THE LE TORT.

DEP was called yesterday and were to check it out this morning. I did not have a follow up call from them today...so far. I will go tonight after work to see if I can tell if anybody did anything.

If anybody want to check it out with me, send a PM before 3:30.

 

[Night_Stalker]

here is a screen shot of the location (Lo-Res)

 

[JackM]

Letort, or Leee-tort, is resilient, not fragile. Good to make the call, but what do you expect to be done?

 

[wildtrout2]

Perhaps find the culprit?

 

[Night_Stalker]

I would rather call now than after a fish kill. Butt-munches should not be allowed to dump oil into the stream...along with all the other sheit.

I guess I did what you are supposed to do. DEP can do their job. Protection of the Environment (it's in their name).

I expect people not to be soooooo frickin ignorant. I should have just caught my wild fish for bait and stayed quite. I could ignite the oil...that would be cool...smoke/flames on the water...smoked trout

 

[salmonoid]

If noone calls in the spills or the poachers, the polluters or poachers win. Better to call and have nothing happen than to not call and read about a fish kill. I called in an odd burping "spring" I encountered in ANF a few years ago. There was a heavy white precipitate around it and bubbles of something were coming up out of the stream. I didn't expect much, but did receive a nice written letter from DEP a bit later. Turns out the bubbles were natural gas (confirmed by a field tech who performed an explosive test), and they were researching to find who had pipelines in the area. They pooh-poohed my suggestion about the other concern, that the increase in silt in the area was due to all the new energy industry roads and small well sites that were created, and claimed it was strictly due to the steepness of the terrain. But at least someone looked at it. I didn't notice the bubbles in following years, but the course of the stream could have changed as well, and maybe they were venting directly to the atmosphere.

 

[tomitrout]

The Le Tort was cloudy from the snow run off. It had a lot of silt visible from the bank (not normal). Additionally, I witness a very un-healthy sucker (large blotchy discolored patches on its length) about a foot from the bank. While looking at the sucker, I saw a syringe floating past. There were a couple downed branches that had become holding spots for surface scum...bottles and junk that washed in.

Welll, considering how everything in town has been locked up frozen for the last couple weeks, the water quality being off doesn't surprise me. I was out on Friday and the water in town was less than inviting looking for sure. Could hardly see the bottom from the bridges, but considering the thaw and all of the pent up runoff that was freed with the rain and warmth, I'm not surprised. All of that road salt and grit and grime is finally being released from the frozen plow piles in one pretty large shot, along with all the freaking litter. The water above town was as normal as you'd expect on Saturday.

There's gonna be a lot of trash in the stream below town once this winter finally breaks, I'll be working on setting up a work party thru CVTU to clean up the trash this spring, hauled a couple big bags from the Harmony Hall stretch a couple years ago, and I'm sure there's plenty more now.

Hopefully DEP can do something about the oil, that's pretty sh!tty. Thanks for making the call.

 

[wgmiller]

That's about the end of the run for the Letort, so it's no wonder you're starting to see trash surface. Just stop and think for a second with regards to how much "abuse" the lower Letort sees when it comes to road runoff, pollution, etc. With all the development in that area, it is under constant attack from manmade sources.

 

[Fishidiot]

Kudos Night_Stalker.

Lower Letort can indeed look mighty gnarly after a storm or the sort of conditions that exist now. Hopefully, the colder weather coming this week will slow some of the snow melt and run-off, esp in town with all the trash and nastiness that Tomitrout mentioned.

Anyway, good that you called DEP. Let us know what you witnessed if you can get back out there later today or anytime soon.

 

[Chaz]

You did the right thing, it sounds like someone is dumping used oil, that is against the law. What get's me is there is a recycling charge included in the price of oil changes or in the price of oil service stations collect, and then they dump it anyway. Their license to do business should be revoked. You see it with tires too.

 

[sipe]

I say good job on the call. State agencies rely on citizens to spot problems early even if this one doesn't braise their hackles. It's in their hands now.

 

[Night_Stalker]

I did stop back the location and took a few photos. I recalled DEP and spoke to the same person. He stated that it was now up to them to "investigate".

 

[Night_Stalker]

They have placed barriers on the parking lot to absorb/contain the oil. A trucking company is responsible for the lot and being made to deal with the mess.