The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investigating a fuel spill which was discovered yesterday morning at Demerara Distillers Limited’s (DDL) factory at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.
A large quantity of Bunker C fuel was discovered on sections of the company’s parapet and inside drains close to the factory. While it is believed that the spill would have started on Saturday night, the company said it was discovered yesterday morning at around 5 am.
Spokesman for DDL, Alex Graham of Tagman Media said last night that the company has begun to mop up the spill. He told Stabroek News that after the spill was discovered it was immediately contained and the EPA was informed.
“Most of the oil was contained in the internal drains with some escaping into drains outside of the compound. DDL workers have so far recovered the majority of the spilt oil from the drains and the cleanup exercise is expected to be completed during Monday,” Graham said in an invited comment last night.
When Stabroek News visited the site yesterday afternoon, officers from the company were seen speaking with EPA officer Odessa Duncan, who was at the time carrying out an onsite inspection.
During this newspaper’s visit workers were seen fetching wheel barrows of sand to different locations to absorb the fuel that was spilt.
Duncan in a comment said that she was there to carry out an assessment of the contamination and to work with the company to implement an immediate cleanup plan.
“We came out this afternoon to get an understanding of what occurred here and we understand that some Bunker C oil was spill…They attempted to contain what was spilled into the environment and the EPA is working with DDL at this point to control the situation… We have to identify and implement measures so we can immediately contain what was spilled and from going further”, Duncan explained to this newspaper yesterday during her visit to the site.
She said that the company is also expected to carry out an assessment to determine the quantity of fuel that would have spilled into the environment.
The fuel is regarded as a heavy type of crude that is left over after gasoline, diesel and other light hydrocarbons are extracted during the refining process.
Just last year, the company faced a backlash from some residents of Great Diamond who had filed a complaint with the EPA after their yards and roadways had been swamped by waste water from the biomethanation plant. The biomethanation plant has since been closed and remedial works are being executed by the company.
