Northport Oil Spill Being Investigated By EPA, ADEM

NORTHPORT, AL — Local, state and federal officials are currently investigating an oil spill from a Northport business in the wooded area behind Huntington Place Elementary School.

Northport Fire Chief Bart Marshall said the city is aware of the spill, which is near the Huntington Gardens neighborhood and in the vicinity of the only major business in the area — Burgess Truck & Equipment Repair. The company is located off of Mitt Lary Road and has numerous large commercial vehicles visible on the property.

Marshall said the spill is currently under investigation by both the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

The announcement, which did not mention the company by name, was prompted by a video of the spill circulating on social media. However, this is a story Tuscaloosa Patch has been working on for well over a week, as officials have remained tight-lipped about any ongoing investigations.

As of Saturday, no formal complaints had been filed on the ADEM website and while Patch has inquired about the spill to Northport and Tuscaloosa County officials over the last week, Marshall's announcement was the first actual public confirmation of the spill.

The City of Northport formally acknowledged the situation on Facebook late Saturday night, saying ADEM, EPA, and Tuscaloosa County EMA are currently overseeing a cleanup of petroleum products near the site, while being the first governmental body to name the company as a source for the first time.

City officials also said booms have been placed on this site and due to inclement weather, tarps were placed on certain areas.

Patch has been provided numerous photos of oil or some kind of fuel visible in stream water, including photos of noticeable black sludge building up in one of the small tributaries. This is worrisome because of the streams feeding into Carroll's Creek — a primary tributary for Lake Tuscaloosa, which is the drinking water for thousands of residents.

What's more, the photos also showed dead undergrowth and trees in the vicinity of the spill, in addition to large tanker trucks on the south end of the property near the site.

As noted through a satellite image, roughly a dozen homes are in close proximity to the business, all of which are in Huntingdon Gardens.

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"It was determined that no product had reached Carroll’s Creek and was contained in the stream bed," Marshall said. "The area has been turned over to a private contractor for cleanup. The video posted on the social media platform shows part of their initial clean process of damming and absorbent boom placement."

The removal of contaminated dirt began on Thursday, Marshall said, and it is not known how long this process will take.

While not confirmed, the oil spill could be an explanation for a chemical odor being reported by residents of Huntington Place, Huntington Gardens and others in the area. In the southern end of the business's location, which meets with homes on Palmetto Street in Huntington Gardens, dead foliage is easily visible to the naked eye apart from the lush greenery surrounding it. .

In March, the Northport Police Department said it had been receiving reports of a foul stench in the area and even asked the community to come forward with any leads.

The Northport Police Department confirmed to Patch last week that Northport Fire Rescue had responded to the call of an oil spill, but stopped short of citing the spill as the cause of the smell.

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