Officials at the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority say they have finished cleaning up a 55-gallon jet fuel spill at Brunswick Landing.
The spill happened at around 1 p.m. Monday, according to a release issued by MRRA Executive Director Daniel Stevenson. Jet-A fuel, a kerosene-grade aviation fuel, spilled on a paved surface adjacent to a building containing snow removal equipment. Stevenson said on Tuesday afternoon that cleanup had been completed and the MRRA is awaiting water-testing results from DEP.
According to the release, the spill does not pose a public safety risk.
The spill happened after a pallet of fuel containers being transported by a forklift slipped and toppled over, causing the fuel drums to open, Stevenson said Tuesday afternoon.
Brunswick Landing staff used a boom — an absorbent device meant to catch debris and pollutants before it enters waterways — around the storm drain located about 50 feet from the spill and used absorbent material on the affected area. Staff notified environmental cleanup company Safe Harbors as well as the Maine DEP, the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Response Center and the Brunswick Fire Department.
“We are working closely with Maine DEP and Clean Harbors to assess the extent of the spill, prevent any further environmental impact, and implement all necessary corrective actions,” Stevenson wrote in the release.
The release states that 15–20 gallons of fuel may have entered the storm drain, which outfalls into Mere Creek.
“Clean Harbors responded by vacuuming the bottom of the catch basin and placing absorbent pads in the catch basin to trap the fuel,” the release said. “Clean Harbors also deployed booms around the stormwater outfall at Mere Creek in the event that any product made it to the outfall. The containment strategy at Mere Creek includes using absorbents to capture any remaining floating fuel which is lighter than water captured within the boomed area.”
The former naval air station was the site of a large-scale spill of toxic firefighting foam in August 2024. The spill — which released 1,450 gallons of aqueous film-forming foam concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons of water — was the sixth-largest U.S. spill in 30 years.
Maine DEP did not respond to requests for comment.
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