The local diesel fuel spill befouling Blackwood and Grenloch lakes is significant, one state official said, but contained.

Initial cleanup efforts continued through Friday and will likely last about a week.

An estimated 26,000 gallons of diesel fuel leaked into the lakes from a New Jersey Transit garage in Washington Township Thursday morning. Officials believe a failed gasket caused the leak from two 16,000-gallon fuel storage tanks at the facility.

The fuel amounts to roughly two average-sized, in-ground swimming pools.

The fuel spread to Lebanon Run, Grenloch Lake and Blackwood Lake, officials said, but no further. No evidence of the spill has been observed in Big Timber Creek downstream from Blackwood Lake, according to a joint statement from the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and New Jersey Transit.

“The spill is contained,” DEP spokesman Lawrence Hajna said. “This is a significant spill, but the positive thing is it’s not spreading.”

As of about 8 a.m. Friday, roughly 13,000 of the 26,000 gallons of diesel fuel believed to have leaked from the New Jersey Transit underground storage tanks had been collected, Gloucester Township Mayor David Mayer reported.

"I do believe they're doing a very good job in collecting the material," the mayor said.

The pungent odor of diesel fuel hung heavy over the waterways Friday as crews from Clean Venture Inc., a contract environmental remediation firm, worked to clean up the spill for New Jersey Transit. Workers in protective suits installed 1,300 feet of yellow booms to stop the fuel’s spread. Water vacuums, skimmers and absorbent pads were all deployed as part of the cleanup.

The equipment helped trapped patches of fuel floating on the water’s surface. In some areas, the fuel patches mixed in with reeds and grass near waterways’ banks.

“It’s going to take a week, at least, for the initial response,” Hajna said. “Crews will be out there every minute of daylight and into dusk to clean this up.”

Mayer credited firefighters from Gloucester and Washington townships for helping contain the spill Thursday morning by putting booms into the water prior to Clean Venture's arrival.

Wildlife impact

Tri-State Bird Rescue, a nonprofit rescue firm based in Newark, DE, has responded to the scene and is working to protect wildlife. Hajna said crews have found one dead Canada goose, as well as a muskrat and one or two turtles.

Residents should not attempt to handle or rescue an animal in distress in the area impacted by the fuel spill. Instead, call New Jersey Transit’s customer service hotline at 973-275-5555. Provide as much information about the animal as possible, including the nearest location or intersection.

Safety concerns

Residents should not enter the impacted waterways or fish in them or their tributaries until further notice, officials said. New Jersey Transit has installed signs around the area notifying the public of the ongoing cleanup efforts.

Drinking water safety is not a concern at this point.

“As this was a surface water incident, there was no indication that public drinking water was compromised,” Camden County officials said in a statement. “There are no intakes for public water systems on the waterways, and there is no reason to believe that private wells were impacted.”

Camden County continues to monitor drinking water, spokeswoman Joyce Gabriel added.

Mayer noted one of the first steps his office took Thursday was to contact New Jersey American Water and Aqua New Jersey—the two companies that supply drinking water for Gloucester Township.

"The confirmation that I have from New Jersey American Water and Aqua New Jersey is that our drinking water is safe," he said.

Mayer added that health officials have informed him the fuel spill did not reach the aquifer that supplies private wells.

"Keep in mind this is surface water. ... We don't get our drinking water from those lakes," he said.

Despite the heavy odor of diesel on the waterways, officials said there are no air safety concerns that this point, either.

Mayer noted the odor, while still present, had dissipated by the time he was joined along the water by state Sen. Fred Madden, Assemblyman Paul Moriarty and assemblywoman-elect Gabriela Mosquera around 8 a.m. Friday.

"The odor was better today than it was (Thursday)," he said.

The cost of cleanup

While the DEP is coordinating the cleanup response effort among multiple state, county and local agencies, the ultimate cost will fall on New Jersey Transit, Hajna said. He could not provide an estimate for cleanup on Friday. A New Jersey Transit spokesman did not return a message seeking comment.

What residents can do

With professional cleanup and rescue crews on the scene, residential volunteers are not needed at point, according to Mayer.

Tri-State Bird is using trained volunteers and will put out a call for additional volunteers if necessary, the nonprofit posted on its website.

Anyone with concerns or questions should contact New Jersey Transit’s 24-hour customer service hotline at 973-275-5555. Mayer suggested that anyone who wants to be put on a volunteer list use this number.

Read Gloucester Township Patch's full coverage of the diesel fuel spill:

• Fuel Spill in Washington Twp. Impacts Gloucester Twp. Waterways
• Residents Concerned for Health, Wildlife in Wake of Fuel Spill
• Viewfinder: Fuel Spill Cleanup Underway