PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state has fined a Maine Company for spilling hydraulic fluid on East Street.
The Department of Environmental Protection has fined North Woods Contracting $2,000 for not notifying the state until hours after spilling about 20 gallons of hydraulic fluid.
According to DEP, the spill occurred at about 7:30 a.m. on May 29 when a hose ruptured on a truck-mounted crane that was loading telephone poles at the Verizon facility at 1899 East Street. The fluid impacted the paved surfaces near the crane.
The company took steps to control the spill and retained a contractor to help clean it.
However, it wasn't until 1 p.m. that day when the company notified the state, which was well past the two hour window the company is allowed by law for a spill of that size.
The spill was cleaned and documentation was submitted to DEP.
For the delay in notification, the company is re-training its personnel for responses in Massachusetts and will pay $2,000.
"Prompt notification to MassDEP ensures that all proper steps are taken to immediately and completely address a release to the environment," said Michael Gorski, director of MassDEP’s Western Regional Office in Springfield, in a prepared statement issued Wednesday. "We appreciate that North Woods arranged for prompt cleanup of the spill, and will be re-training its employees on spill response to prevent this type of violation from occurring in the future."
