An estimated 500 gallons of diesel fuel leaked from an above ground tank in the area of New Rochester, east of Bowling Green, sending the fuel into the Portage River.
It is not known when the leak occurred, but a resident of Pemberville called the Ohio EPA on Tuesday after smelling the fuel and seeing a sheen on the river, according to Wood County Emergency Management Agency Director Jeff Klein.
“There’s not a hazard right now,” Klein said this morning. No fish kills or significant environmental impacts were noted by emergency responders, he added.
The leak occurred due to structural failure of the tank, located along U.S. 6, between Silverwood Road and Ohio 199. The diesel fuel made its way to field tiles which drain into the Portage River near Linwood and Caskie roads, Klein said.
The Ohio EPA contacted the Wood County EMA, and Pemberville-Freedom Fire Department and cleanup contractors were immediately called. Booms were placed in the river, and no more fuel is getting into the waterway, Klein said.
