NEPCO 140 Oil Spill

The '''NEPCO 140 Oil Spill''' took place in 1976 near [[Clayton, New York]] when the NEPCO 140 ran aground while traveling inland, spilling an estimated {{convert|300,000|USgal|m3}} of oil into the [[Saint Lawrence River]]. ==Oil spill== On June 23, 1976, the [[tugboat]] Eileen C was pushing the NEPCO 140 [[barge]] filled with crude oil when it ran aground in the [[American Narrows]] off [[Wellesley Island]] in the [[Thousand Islands]] region. The Captain had not made a large enough adjustment to his course when realizing the vessel was off track in the thick fog. Upon running aground, the barge ruptured two tanks and began leaking oil. It then backed off the rock and resumied its upriver journey. The barge again ran aground four miles (6 km) further upriver and ruptured another tank on a shoal near Mason Point while trying to set anchor per the [[U.S. Coast Guard]]'s orders. The barge leaked oil into the River for more than a day. The spill was carried over an {{convert|80|mi|km|adj=on}} section of the St. Lawrence River by the river’s swift current. As far [[downriver]] as [[Massena (village), New York|Massena, New York]] and [[Brockville, Ontario]]. Shoreline, wildlife, rocks, and boats were covered with oil. Oil penetrated into extensive marshland areas. At the time of the accident the spill was the worst inland oil spill in North American history. ==Cleanup== It was difficult for clean-up officials to fully document the damage to the St. Lawrence River ecosystem. An attempt was made to determine the [[Mortality rate|mortality]] of wildlife. A count of animal mortality included 226 [[waterfowl]] and [[ducks]] and 508 [[Birds]] [[mammals]] and [[amphibians]]. Several hundred waterfowl, ducks, other birds, and countless fish were harmed or killed by the spill. Chemical shoreline cleaners were used much like what was used during the [[Exxon Valdez oil spill]]. Neighbors worked hand-in-hand with government employees, students and national volunteers for months. Clean-up of the oil was accomplished primarily by intensive hand labor through power washing shorelines and hand cutting and hauling contaminated underwater and marsh vegetation. The cleanup was terminated on October 22, 1976, 122 days after the spill. However, many areas with oil contamination were not cleaned up and the oil was left to degrade naturally. United States alleges it spent $8,062,981 to clean its territorial waters and reimbursed Canada, pursuant to an executive agreement for their $768,265 spent. ==External links== *[http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lon=-76.0368898&lat=44.2636576&datum=nad83 Map of Mason Point] *[http://people.clarkson.edu/~pdy/lawrence.htm Clarkson University Integrated Oil and Chemical Spill Model] {{coord missing|New York}}