Delaware Riverkeeper Network

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Call DRN to report pollution incidents and waterway threats, or file a report online.

Specific agencies respond to different pollution events so be sure to contact the appropriate agency. Please click here for a list of hotline numbers throughout the Delaware Watershed that were compiled by DRN. When contacting the appropriate hotline, tell them all you can about the exact location and nature of the pollution. If you have the ability to safely walk upstream to find the source of pollution, this is ideal. Request a case number when you call, let them know you have alerted Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and request a call back from the assigned agency representative. If you have photos of the pollution, request an email address for these photos to be sent.


Pollution Hotline Reports

March 29th footage

March 28 footage

Update - as of 5.13.2023:  The Delaware Riverkeeper Network has submitted Freedom of Information Act and Right to Know requests to all the involved agencies in order to secure any data collected on the impacts of the release as well as to learn the details regarding the cause of the release, the responsible parties actions in the wake of the release, and any potential legal accountability.  These information requests are still outstanding.  Agencies are entitled to a certain period of time within which to respond to these requests and often ask for extensions of time in which to gather the information.  We are still in that waiting period to secure meaningful information.  

Background:

At approximately 11:30pm on March 24, 2023, 8,000-12,000 gallons of acrylic latex polymer from the Trinseo Altuglas chemical facility in Bristol, PA was released into Otter Creek, which directly flows into the Bristol Marsh and into the Delaware River. Approximately 8 miles downstream are intakes for the Samuel S. Baxter Water Treatment plant which serves as the source of drinking water for the vast majority of Philadelphia. Three of the leaked substances identified were methyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, and butyl acrylate.

It was not until Sunday morning that a phone notification was sent out from the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) to all Philadelphia residents recommending that people use bottled water starting at 2:00pm due to the chemical spill, even though no contaminants were detected in the drinking water system at the time. Subsequent public safety notifications over the course of the following days have extended the window of safety and ultimately by Tuesday evening, PWD declared that the drinking water of Philadelphia residents served by the Baxter Water Treatment Plant, would be safe to drink. While most of the media attention focused on the threat to drinking water, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network has pushed for answers in relation to the impacts the chemical release would have on wildlife and the ecosystem.

The Delaware Riverkeeper Network continues to investigate the site of the incident for any signs of damage to plant and animal life.

March 27 footage

 

Eel found in the creek

 

Delaware Riverkeeper Network Press Releases:

Delaware Riverkeeper Network Demands For Better Action From Agencies:

Press Releases & Information From Others:

City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Water Department

Burlington County, NJ

US Coast Guard

  • March 26, 2023: Coast Guard, state, locals continue response to release of hazardous material near Bristol, Pennsylvania
  • March 25, 2023 Coast Guard monitors release of hazardous material near Bristol, Pa.

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

  • March 26, 2023: DEP Provides Update on Delaware River Pollution Event

Delaware River Basin Commission

Stroud Water Research Center

Bucks County

New Jersey American Water

  • March 29, 2023, statement: As Sampling Continues to Show No Detections of Chemical Spill, New Jersey American Water Resumes Normal Operations at Delaware River Regional Water Treatment Plant
  • March 28, 2023, statement: New Jersey American Water’s Delaware River Plant Remains Unimpacted by Chemical Spill; Company Lifting Voluntary Conservation Order
  • March 27, 2023, statement: New Jersey American Water’s Delaware River Plant Still Not Impacted by Chemical Spill; Company Continues to Ask Customers to Voluntarily Conserve in Three Counties
  • March 26, 2023, statement: New Jersey American Water’s Delaware River Plant Not Impacted by Chemical Spill; Company Issues Voluntary Conservation Notice for Customers in Three Counties Due to Chemical Spill
  • March 25, 2023, statement: New Jersey American Water President Mark McDonough Statement on Delaware River Tributary Chemical Spill

Aqua PA

Trinseo Altuglas

Press Reporting


In the early morning hours of June 11, 2023 a tanker truck caught on fire at the Cottman Avenue exit of I-95. The tanker truck was carrying 87 octane gasoline.  The fire weakened the overpass.  As a result the the highway overpass northbound lanes collapsed, with damage also inflicted on the southbound lanes.  The Coast Guard deployed crews to the scene.  PADEP and EPA Region III were also on site to join the Coast Guard in assessing environmental impacts to waterways.  Some of the product carried by the tanker truck migrated into the sewer/storm drains.  A very light sheen was reportedly found in the River at the Cottman Avenue outfall.  Booms were put in place to contain the sheen and prevent further contamination of the River.

According to agency reports. There were several small explosions that took place within the storm system.  The City and PennDOT are planning to flush the system to prevent future explosions.

The Delaware Riverkeeper Network will continue to monitor reports on the status of the event.