Diesel Spill Prompts East Lyme To Order Mandatory Water Conservation

East Lyme water customers are no strangers to mandatory water conservation in the summer but the reason these are going into effect today, July 4, at 9 a.m. is news. 

Working closely with the Department of Correction, officials from the Town of East Lyme have agreed to institute mandatory water conservation measures to assist mitigation efforts of a recent diesel fuel leak on the grounds of the York Correctional Institution in Niantic.

The spill was caused by a broken underground pipe connecting the above ground diesel fuel tank to the facility’s main generators. The cause of the leak was quickly corrected after being discovered approximately three weeks ago.

Kropp Environmental Contractors Inc., a state licensed spill clean-up contractor, which has been retained to manage the remediation plan, continues to conduct daily soil testing and monitoring of exploratory wells for contamination. The reduced demand on the town’s water supply will assist staff from Kropp Environmental in their data collection efforts.

Representatives from Kropp Environmental will remain on site at the York Correctional Institution throughout the holiday weekend, and beyond, monitoring the soil for any contamination.

To date, no contaminated soil has been found outside the grounds of the correctional facility. The exact amount of fuel spilled has yet to be determined.

The safety of the town’s water supply remains the top priority for all involved.

The bulk of this information comes from a press release issued by the Department of Correction.