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Case: Chalk Point, MD
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Date of incident: April 7, 2000.
Location: Chalk Point/Swanson Creek, Maryland (near Aquasco, Maryland).
Trustees:
Case status: Settled, restoration underway.
Overview: On April 7, 2000, a leak was detected in a 12-inch underground
pipeline that supplies oil to the Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO) Chalk
Point generating station in Aquasco, Maryland. Approximately 140,000 gallons of
fuel oil spilled into Swanson Creek, a small tributary of the Patuxent River.
The spilled oil was a mix of No. 6 oil, which is normally transported by the
pipeline to generate electricity, and No. 2 oil, a much lighter oil being used
as part of a cleaning process. On the night of April 8, severe weather
conditions caused oil to breach booms that had been deployed per the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency Cleanup Order of May 1, 2000, spreading oil
into the Patuxent River for approximately 17 linear miles downstream. About 40
miles of environmentally sensitive downstream creeks and shorelines were oiled
as a result. The spill resulted in lost recreational use, damage to wetlands
and beach shorelines, and injuries to birds and waterfowl, fish and shellfish,
diamondback terrapins, and benthic communities. Restoration projects include:
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Creating a 6-acre marsh combined with a beach enhancement project.
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Creating and seeding an oyster sanctuary.
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Acquiring, restoring, and maintaining a nesting habitat for ruddy ducks in the
Prairie Pothole Region of the midwestern United States.
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Building two canoe/kayak campsites.
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Building a canoe/kayak/small boat launch.
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Enhancing a recreational park with foot trails, a boardwalk, educational signs,
and parking.
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Improving an existing boat ramp and pier.
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Replacing a deteriorating boardwalk.
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Providing equipment for a river education program.
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Building a fishing pier.
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