A gasoline spill into a Delaware County creek damaged marine life and ground soil, officials said.
The spill seemed to be caused by overfilling after a gasoline shipment at the Gas N Go on the corner of Coebourn Boulevard and Edgmont Avenue in Brookhaven, Delaware County Emergency Services Director Tim Boyce said.
The gasoline spilled into the tributary of Chester Creek and a nearby retention pond of a local school, with various people reporting a strong gasoline smell around 7 a.m. Saturday.
Boyce said the smell would linger in the air “for some time” and that the Environmental Protection Agency will need to perform remediation of ground soil to remove the contaminated dirt.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
Delaware County will temporarily shut off any water intake structures as a precaution, but drinking water should not be affected, Boyce said. The area has also been tested for any explosive levels of gasoline, but officials have not found any, he added.
Investigators will focus on whether the gas station had precautions in place that would have prevented overfilling.
