Oil Spill in New York Creek Kills Family of Beavers

An oil spill in a New York Creek killed a family of beavers and ended with 2 brothers facing charges.

A call came into the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Spill Hotline about crude oil being spilled into Foster Creek, a waterway that flows into the Allegheny River, and it's impact on the beavers.

The DEC’s regional Spill Responder experts oversaw the completion of the cleanup that included oil absorbent pads to help contain the oil spill.

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Multi Agency Investigation

A multi-agency investigation that included drones began into the oil and gas well spill. A pair of brothers from Adams Well Service, Inc. in the town of Bolivar where charged.

Both brothers faced charges including polluting waters in contravention of standards, discharge without a State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, failure to report bulk spills of a liquid pollutant, and discharge without a permit.

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The men were in court earlier this month. As part of a plea agreement, one brother pleaded guilty to one count of discharging a pollutant into waters of New York State without a SPDES permit, a misdemeanor. He received a $300 fine and a one-year conditional discharge in exchange for his plea.

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