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Oil spill in Des Plaines River cleaned up

Wildlife does not appear to be harmed, officials say

By Mary Owen | Tribune reporter

February 12, 2009

An oil spill that contaminated about a 9-mile stretch of the Des Plaines River has been cleaned up and does not appear to have harmed wildlife, officials said Wednesday.

"There's nothing that we can see right now," said Edward Karecki, environmental contaminant specialist for the Barrington office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. "All in all, it degrades water quality to have that stuff going into the river."

On Sunday, 65,000 gallons of oil sludge overflowed from a holding tank after a pump failed at the Caterpillar manufacturing plant in Rockdale, near Joliet. About 6,000 gallons of the oil sludge flowed about 100 feet down an embankment to the Des Plaines River, an industrial waterway that was closed briefly during cleanup.

High-powered vacuums sucked the oil sludge out of the river, and 3 to 4 inches of soil was removed where the leak spilled.

Investigators from several state and federal environmental agencies have been assessing wildlife and water quality throughout the week, checking for dead fish and oil-covered birds. None was found, officials said.

mowen@tribune.com