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WATERSHED
WATCH: Hackensack Riverkeeper Reports Gasoline Poured Down Stormdrain By Hugh M. Carola I still can’t believe it,
but here’s what happened to me on Tuesday, May 31. I was driving up Cedar Lane
in Teaneck on my way to the bank. When I slowed down at the intersection of
Cedar and River Road (not far from our old offices at Fairleigh Dickinson
University) I saw a man apparently pouring liquid from a red plastic can into
the stormdrain in front of the Getty service station. We all know what red plastic
cans are for. “No way,” I thought.
“There’s no way he just put gasoline down the stormdrain!” But once I pulled
over and got out of my car, that unmistakable odor hit me. “What did you put down the
stormdrain?” I asked rather forcefully. “Did you dump gas down the
stormdrain?!” Rather than the denial or
curses I expected to hear, what I got instead was, “It was just a little bit”
along with the alleged perpetrator gesturing with his thumb and forefinger
about two inches apart. For the record, two inches
worth of gasoline in a 2.5 gallon can is about one pint. Vapors produced from
just one tablespoon’s worth of gas are enough to cause an explosion in a
confined space such as a boat’s bilge, a steel shed or a dry stormdrain pipe -
especially when you consider the number of cigarette butts that get tossed out
of car windows at intersections. When I looked in the drain,
I saw a puddle of gas just two feet below street level. As the alleged perpetrator
moved toward his car, I reached for the environmentalist’s best friend - my
cell phone - and contacted the Teaneck Police Department to report the crime.
As he drove away, I gave the dispatcher his license plate number and made my
initial report. Within five minutes, an
officer was on the scene and taking my statement. Less than five minutes later,
a supervisor arrived who assessed the situation and alerted the Teaneck Fire
Department. Teaneck’s first responders then blocked off the area and brought in
the town’s Haz Mat team to effect the cleanup. Fortunately the stormdrain was
dry, which made for a relatively easy cleanup using absorbent material. Had it
been wet, the gas would have quickly made its way to the Hackensack River just
a half-mile away, making a full cleanup difficult to accomplish. At the time of the incident,
the police believed the alleged perpetrator was trying to dispose of stale gas
and went to a local service station for help. When none was forthcoming, he
took the easy - and illegal - way out and dumped it. Despite our familiarity
with and dependence on it, gasoline is a hazardous and dangerous material and
must be treated with proper care and concern for public safety. If you find yourself with a
quantity of stale gas, you MUST store it until the next Household Hazardous
Waste Collection Day in your county. There is no other legal option available.
Please note that you must be
a resident of the county in order to drop off materials at any facility. Be
sure to bring proper identification with you to any and all Household Hazardous
Waste Collection Days or you will be turned away. Finally, should you find
yourself in a similar situation as I did on May 31, do everything I did EXCEPT
confront the alleged perpetrator. I was lucky that he got scared and almost
apologetic when I spoke to him. He could just as easily have responded in a
threatening manner. If you see an incident like I did, get the license number,
jot down descriptions and pay attention to detail but leave it to the police to
deal with the person(s) in question. Be aware but always be careful! |