Riverkeeper thoughts on the 2000 Patuxent Oil Spill
May 6, 2010. Today, just over 10- years to the day from the April 7, 2000 oil spill from the Chalk Point plant, I visited Swanson Creek near Benedict, MD and motored over "ground zero" of the power company pipeline that leaked some 11,000 gallons of fuel oil into the waters that were once rich with crabs and oysters.
A stick coated with mud and
oil from Swanson Creek
I wanted to see what remained of the scene that back then was called the worst manmade ecological disaster in Maryland history. I find this especially poignant in the days following explosion, fire and ongoing spill at the former British Petroleum Oil rig located in Gulf Waters. The Patuxent spill in 2000 was caused by a ruptured fuel line located in the waterway. It was many hours before the leak was detected and when it was done oil slicks had spread in bad weather and high winds many miles to the south. A local resident told me today how a small army of State and Federal people descended on his waterfront and began the slow and messy job of trying to contain and recover the oily residue that all but wiped out the commercial shellfish and fishing industry surrounding Benedict for a long while.
Today, using long wooden stick off the bow of a Carolina Skiff, I was able to push just a few inches into the river bottom and pull up oily ooze comprised of as much oil as mud. The mud was dark as coal and had the consistency of grease paint, releasing an unmistakable rainbow sheen onto the surface of the water. Above the water today there is very little evidence of the former spill in the shop woof the massive coal and oil burning electrical generating plant. I saw an otter crossing the creek, Osprey wheeling in the sky above and the usual scene of a sun drenched beaucolic southern, MD day on the river. It belies all the suffering and all that was lost as a result of that earlier spill. It reflects the enormous fusion between people and their rivers and the tremendous stakes when human commerce and stewardship goes awry.
It’s hard to reconcile today’s scene on the Patuxent with the scene elsewhere of Hundred of thousands of gallons pumping into the gulf from an incident that has already taken human lives and which threatens the livelihood and safety of many more. I spoke this week with the Mobile Baykeeper Casi Calloway through the haze of her own extreme fatigue, borne of many days and nights with insufficient sleep and her absence from her very young family as she fights to get more transparency from the parade of State and Federal; agencies, contractors and others who have descended on her waterway in a scene that ultimately is likely to be far worse than we can imagine. Please join me in sending hopes and prayers to Casi and many others on the front lines of this awful catastrophe.
Casi (kc) Callaway
Executive Director & Baykeeper
Mobile Baykeeper
300 Dauphin Street, Suite 200
Mobile, AL 36602
Nearly 200 Waterkeepers defend the world’s waters. Our Gulf Waterkeepers are the first line of defense during the ongoing Gulf disaster. Their incredible knowledge of the marshes, wetlands, beaches, and inner-coastal waters make them invaluable first responders. Their commitment makes them critical and effective community leaders. The wealth of scientific, legal and political knowledge and experience our Waterkeepers possess make them true voices of the people and of the environment on which they depend. And their dedication to a full recovery is unmatched. The Gulf Waterkeepers need your help. Please support them by donating, and together, we can Save Our Gulf. Donate and Help Save Our Gulf
