MAHONING TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A road in Carbon County was closed after a fuel truck rolled Wednesday morning.
It happened around 9:30 a.m. on Mauch Chunk Street (Route 209) in Mahoning Township.
According to the Department of Environmental Protection, the oil rig lost control, flipped and spilled 2,500 gallons of oil, and about 300 gallons of kerosene.
"There are small creeks and streams that go into this river from this area. The main point here is the product got into a storm drain that goes directly into a river, and that's where all the containment is being worked on, to do as much as possible to get that product contained before it enters the river," explained Carbon County EMA official Mark Nalesnick.
Dozens of people responded to the scene to help limit the harmful effects the spill may have on fish and wildlife. The water affected stretches from the Lehighton area downstream toward the Lehigh Valley.
The DEP adds it will take up to two weeks to clean the spill. The road was temporarily down to one lane.
The driver of the truck was not injured.
The only water authority impacted in our area is the Lehighton Water Authority. A supervisor tells us that it is a non-active pumping station and is only used during emergency situations. The authority pulls drinking water from a reservoir.
D and D Fuel, the company that owns the truck, is cleaning up the spill, supervised by DEP. So far, there has been no contamination found in area waterways.