SOUTH BRISTOL — The Maine Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Coast Guard, Maine Marine Patrol and Lincoln County hazardous materials team are at the scene of an oil spill in the Damariscotta River in the village of Walpole in South Bristol.
The Maine DEP was notified at approximately 9 a.m. Friday that a barge at the Mook Sea Farm aquaculture facility, which cultivates oysters, had been damaged by ice, DEP spokeswoman Jessamine Logan said.
It is not yet clear what type of oil spilled or how much, according to Coast Guard spokesman Connan Ingham, but the oil is not diesel or gasoline, as previously reported. Also, Ingham said the barge is not sinking.
The spill occurred across the river from Dodge Lower Cove, about two miles west of Bristol center.
The Bristol Fire Department contained the oil sheen within floating booms, and contractors Colby and Gale are on scene emptying the remaining fuel from the barge, according to Ingham.
The Coast Guard sent a 47-foot boat to secure a safety perimeter, and a pollution response team remained on scene early Friday afternoon. The boat has since cleared, Ingham said.
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