Fuel spill to close Guinea Road in Monroe for days, DEEP says wells should be okay

MONROE, Conn. — State and town officials say area well water should be safe amid a massive cleanup of an oil spill on Hattertown Road, at Guinea Road, after a Hi-Ho fuel truck ended up on its roof following a rollover crash in a heavy downpour early Monday morning.

The accident occurred just before 5:30 a.m., when police determined the driver was heading west on Hattertown Road at a high rate of speed and lost control of the truck on a bend in the road near Guinea Road. Police said the driver was not hurt, but was cited for traveling too fast for conditions.

“Restoration of the impacted areas and monitoring of water quality is a top priority as remediation continues through the evening,” First Selectman Terry Rooney said of cleanup efforts. “I have spoken to many homeowners in the area that have obvious concern and will continue until we are confident no threat to water quality exists.”

The first selectman said anyone who notices unusual odors or discoloration in their drinking water should call his office or the Monroe Health Department for contact information for well water inspections.

“As we want our citizens to err on the side of caution, please, if you see something, say something,” Rooney said.

Ken LeClerc, a supervisor for the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Emergency Response Unit, said Guinea Road will most likely be closed for a week, while affected soil is excavated and replaced, and Hattertown Road will be closed during the daytime and detoured.

“We just need the area to work in and it’s very tight there,” LeClerc said.

He said the town recently installed a new drain line on Guinea Road, so the soil has been disturbed. The fuel spill occurred on one side of the road, then went through a drain pipe to the other side, according to LeClerc.

“We will dig it clean on the land trust/Aquarion side,” he said. “The responsible parties already hired an environmental contractor and an insurance company is on the site. We don’t anticipate any issue with neighboring wells, but as a precaution we’re going to test wells within 1,000 feet of the crash.”

Monroe Police Lt. Kevin McKellick said Hattertown Road will remain closed between Knapp Street and Blanket Meadow for the foreseeable future. “The goal is to get it open to alternating traffic as soon as possible,” he said.

Detours were set up:

• Westbound on Hattertown Road – Knapp Street to Judd Road back to Hattertown Road.
• Eastbound on Hattertown Road – Blanket Meadow to Riding Ridge to Guinea Road to Pastors Walk to Bradford to Main Street (Route 25).

The road is closed at the intersection of Guinea Road and Hattertown Road.

Monroe police officers responded to the scene of the crash, along with Stepney and Monroe firefighters, the DEEP, the fire marshal and the regional Hazmat team, and public works brought in a sand truck for the heavy fuel spill, according to Monroe Fire Chief Kevin Catalano.

“The oil delivery company notified their spill clean up contractor timely and the fire department also called for Aquarion to respond,” he said.

“There is an immediate and direct approach needed in Hazmat situations,” Rooney said. “Our emergency services and Department of Public Works understand this and responded with efficient and exact measures to detour and protect the traveling public.”

“As I’m on site, I’ve spoken with the Department of Environmental Protection personnel and the company involved,” Rooney said. “At this time, I have observed a high level of professionalism and concern for containment and water source impact. This is a large mitigation operation that is being handled by the most qualified professionals available in Connecticut.”

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