Portsmouth Fire, Coast Guard Probe Fuel Spill

Whatever fuel it was that appeared in the Piscataqua River this morning has been dispersed by the tide after a 300-yard spill area was reported this morning.

Portsmouth Fire Capt. Ken Smith said the department received a call from a Bow Street resident who said they saw a large fuel spill on the river in the area of Granite State Minerals, Moran Towing and the Bow Street restaurants.

The Portsmouth Fire Boat was dispatched and the U.S. Coast Guard was also notified. Smith said the Fire Department also notified Moran Towing, the NH Department of Environmental Services and the NH Port Authority to see if they could identify the source of the fuel spill that stretched all the way to Prescott Park.

Smith said the matter was eventually turned over to the Coast Guard and NH DES this morning and the cause of the fuel spill is still under investigation.

"Where it came from, we were unable to find a source," Smith said.

But Smith said these type of incidents are not that unusual and can be caused by several different events. He said it is also very possible that the spill may have been caused by very little oil.

"A little bit of oil goes a long way," he said. "It was a small amount of product, but where it floats along the water it can look larger than it is really is."

That is because once motor oil, diesel fuel, gasoline or even cooking oil end up floating on the water and mix with the water, it can expand over a large area very quickly.

Smith said it is possible the fuel could have been accidentally discharged from a boat's bilge pump or could have come from storm drains after this weekend's snowstorm.

Smith said the fuel spill had pretty much dissipated by 10 a.m. because of the river's strong tides and currents.

"With the tide and the currents moving, it can disperse," he said.