OTISFIELD — The cost of cleaning up an oil spill from stripped-out copper piping at the elementary school in November will be at least $45,000, Oxford Hills School District Superintendent Rick Colpitts said.

School officials said the district’s insurance is expected to pick up most of the expenses.

More than 100 gallons of heating oil spilled into the school grounds over Thanksgiving Day weekend after someone cut copper tubing from an oil and propane tank.

David Marshall, school district facilities director, said the bills for the cleanup and restoration amount to $44,911. The district is still waiting to hear the cost of returning one of the portable classrooms on site.

Maine Department of Environmental Protection money is expected to pay for the small amount the school insurance does not pick up, Marshall said.

Officials said in late November that a thief or thieves took a bolt cutter and snipped copper tubing that went to outside oil and propane tanks feeding two portable classrooms on the east side of the main school building on Powhatan Road.

About half a tank of No. 4 fuel oil leaked from the encased 240-gallon tank when the line was cut outside the encasement, Jon Woodard of the Department of Environmental Protection said at the time. Boom Technology, a 24-hour emergency response team out of Gorham, dug the contaminated soil from the site.

The bills include electrical, excavator rental, school maintenance personnel hours, lumber, relocating a doublewide building on school grounds, replacing the copper lines, refilling of tanks, miscellaneous hardware and fixing problems on the fire alarm panel.

The largest amount of money owed is $31,777 to Boom Technology. The sum of $4,500 was paid to CPRC Group of Portland for the transportation of the contaminated soil.

The contaminated soil was found on a 15-foot strip of land between two portable classrooms on the east side of the school. After a hole about 8 feet deep and 10 feet wide was dug, workers determined it would be necessary to move one of two portable classrooms from the site to allow them access to the contaminated dirt under it.

Moving it back is expected to cost about $2,000, Marshall said.

Officials said there have been no arrests made yet on the theft.

Colpitts said at the time that police believe the theft is tied into similar theft of copper at four nearby camps.

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