WATCH: Northport Officials Take Questions About Oil Spill

NORTHPORT, AL — City of Northport officials, along with Tuscaloosa County EMA fielded questions from the media on Tuesday after an oil spill was identified near the property owned by Burgess Truck & Equipment repair.

A criminal investigation is currently underway by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Patch was there to ask questions of local leaders as residents of Palmetto Street and the surrounding area are demanding answers.

ALSO READ: Records Detail ADEM Inspection At Northport Spill Site In 2014

Watch the full press conference here

Here's a timeline of events leading up to today

May 2014 — An anonymous complaint is filed online with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management concerning a potential oil spill near the southern end of the property owned by Burgess Trucking & Equipment Repair, which runs into a residential area with numerous homes off of Palmetto Street.

June 2014 — ADEM sends an investigator to inspect the business, which is located off of Mitt Lary Road. The inspection notes numerous potential violations and mentions a possible spill at the same site currently under investigation. Wade Burgess, the owner of the business, is notified of the infractions and asked to take remedial measures.

August 2014 — Burgess responds with photos showing a used oil container appropriately marked after being blank, a new container that replaced an older oil containment system and a photo of the parking lot after oil drums were reportedly moved from the site. Burgess also informed ADEM that oil dirt was removed and graded out near the southwest corner of the property — the site of the current investigation.

March 16 — Northport Police Department takes to Facebook to ask for the public's help identifying the source of a foul, chemical smell in the vicinity of Huntington Place.

April 15 — Northport Fire Rescue receives call of an odor from Fairwood Avenue in Huntington. Crews arrive on scene, walk the wood line and discover the source of the odor and black sludge appearing to be petroleum. NFR returns later that night after it was discovered that the property is under the jurisdiction of Tuscaloosa County, so normal protocol is followed and Tuscaloosa County EMA is contacted.

April 16 — ADEM arrives at the spill site. Emergency officials then find that the owner of Burgess Truck & Equipment Repair is out of town and Delta Oil Services, which had two trucks parked near the site of the spill, has also declined to take responsibility for the spill. State officials contact the EPA out of its office in Atlanta.

April 17 — Tuscaloosa Patch is first made aware of spill and receives photos of black sludge gathering in stream water. Upon the first visit to the site, dead foliage and undergrowth is visible near the south end of the Burgess property, which meets with back yards on Palmetto Street in Huntington Gardens. Spectrum Environmental Services arrives on scene after being hired by Burgess to begin cleanup efforts.

April 24 — Northport Fire Chief Bart Marshall confirms spill, but stops short of naming Burgess Truck & Equipment Repair or any other company as being responsible. A resident takes Tuscaloosa Patch to the spill site for the first time.

April 25 — City of Northport cites Burgess as the origin of the spill, in addition to confirming an investigation by state and federal officials. Northport Councilwoman Jamie Dykes discusses spill with Tuscaloosa Patch.

April 26 — Residents watched as heavy machinery from Spectrum Environmental Services blocked the wooded walking path used to access the spill site. Residents of Palmetto Street continue to express frustration at the lack of prior notification once the spill had been identified.

April 27 — A press conference with Northport Mayor Bobby Herndon, Councilwoman Jamie Dykes, Fire Chief Bart Marshall and Tuscaloosa County EMA Director Nick Lolley is held, where few new updates are provided, as questions about the investigation are being referred to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Marshall does confirm that while he has seen the May 2014 inspection report obtained by Patch and provided to the department, he was unable to confirm any connections to the current situation on Tuesday.

Tuscaloosa Patch is also actively working to host a Town Hall event for residents and officials to gather next week and will post more information as the final details are finalized.

If you are one of the residents impacted by this spill and want to share your story or have questions/concerns, please email me at ryan.phillips@patch.com.