Crime & Safety
PHOTOS: About 50 Gallons of Diesel Fuel Spills into Batavia Stormwater on Kirk Road
Tri-Com reports that about 50 gallons of diesel fuel has spilled into the Batavia stormwater system on Douglas Road near Kirk Road.
About 50 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into the Batavia stormwater system around 2 p.m. Friday, March 22, following a truck fuel-tank leak near the intersection of Douglas Road and Kirk Road in Batavia.
The leak was caused when a drive shaft broke and punctured two holes in the truck's fuel tank, Batavia Deputy Fire Chief Randy Banker said at the scene.
Batavia police and fire officials reported to Douglas Road around 2 p.m., and Batavia public works personnel, North Aurora and Fermilab spill units, and Kane County personnel were at the scene as of 3 p.m.
Find out what's happening in Bataviafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The Kane County Highway Department and the Environmental Protection Agency were contacted, as well, Banker said.
At 3 p.m. traffic on Kirk Road was not affected by the cleanup effort.
Find out what's happening in Bataviafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Tri-Com Dispatch reported the spill has been stopped and some emergency vehicles were leaving as of 3:44 p.m.
Clean-up crews were located at the apparent accident point on Douglas Road about 50 feet west of the intersection of Kirk Road and at a second location along the west side of Kirk Road just north of the railroad tracks near Wilson Street.
At 5:02 p.m., Engine 2 cleared the scene and turned over mitigation efforts to a cleanup company.
Patch will attempt to determine what the hazardous effects might be, if any, of that amount of diesel fuel entering the stormwater system.
"Diesel fuel, oil, antifreeze and other vehicle fluids are toxic to the environment," according to Tercenter.com. "Prevent contaminants from entering the stormwater system. ... Check for fluid leaks and immediately repair and clean up any leaks that are found. (Cleanup poses) challenges because of the immediate potential dangers of water pollution."
Patch will provide additional updates as more information is available from official sources.
Editor's note: A previous version of this article noted that the spill was near the Suncast Corporation at 701 N. Kirk Road in Batavia. The spill was not on the Suncast site.
