Oil spill prompts New Berlin to declare ‘state of emergency’
NEW BERLIN - An unreported motor oil spill near New Berlin’s City Center has evolved into enough of a concern to prompt the city to declare it an environmental hazard as a belated cleanup process continues.
New Berlin Mayor Dave Ament issued a formal “state of emergency” Monday, four days after a damaged 350gallon oil storage tote spilled its much of contents onto the pavement at Moorland Auto Repair, 3890 S. Moorland Road. The oil ended up draining into the city’s storm sewer system and into a creek adjacent to Mark Drive and into a city stormwater collection pond.
An emergency declaration was issued “to help facilitate and expedite the use of resources to protect persons and property from the impacts of the spread of the oil spill,” city officials said in a news release posted on New Berlin’s website Tuesday.
The city was alerted to the oil spill Sunday by an unnamed resident, who while walking near the stormwater pond noticed a strong petroleum smell. The New Berlin Fire Department and city stormwater management subsequently confirmed the presence of “a large oil spill,” Ament said in his emergency declaration.
The declaration stated that the business did not report the incident to either the city or the state’s Department of Natural Resources, as required by law, and did not take any steps to contain oil’s migration off the property.
The owner of Moorland Auto Repair was not immediately available for comment.
“The City reported the spill to (the DNR) and proceeded to deploy containment booms and oil spill mats,” Ament said in the declaration. “However the City expects that the clean-up of this spill will take a considerable period of time and will necessitate the expenditure of public resources and the commencement of enforcement proceedings against the responsible party(s).”
To that end, the city set a special meeting of the New Berlin Common Council for Thursday. Aldermen will hear an emergency management report from officials and discuss retaining a cleanup firm, Clean Harbors, to continue remediation of the spill’s effects.
As of late Tuesday, the area was still secured to allow cleanup efforts to continue. City officials were not immediately available to provide further information on the cleanup process.