Oil from tank leak pollutes Bedens Brook

Don't wade in Bedens Brook, and don't let your pets go in the water until further notice.

Residents on Mountain View Road in Montgomery noticed a fuel oil smell and a sheen on Bedens Brook Monday night, and reported the issues to the police. It turns out that the odor was coming from a home oil tank that has leaked an estimated 600 to 900 gallons of heating oil into the ground. Some of the oil made its way into the brook.

The Somerset County hazmat team traced the source of the leak to a home heating oil tank at a house on the Great Road. Officials said the tank has been pumped of the remaining oil, but a significant amount of oil remains in the ground.

Absorbent booms have been placed across Bedens Brook between the source of the leak and Mountain View and Cherry Hill roads. Officials said the clean up effort and soil remediation work is still underway.

People and pets should not wade in or play in Bedens Brook between the Great Road and Cherry Hill Road until further notice because of the oil, officials at the Montgomery Township Health Department said.

Area residents should report any fuel oil odors or any sheen they see on the surface of the water of Bedens Brook to the Montgomery Health Department during business hours Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. by calling (908) 359-8211 ext. 227. After business hours, call the Montgomery Township Police Department at (908) 359-3222.

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Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.