Several state and local environmental and wildlife agencies and nonprofits are continuing their efforts to remediate an oil spill which began on Sunday in the Muddy River and treat affected birds in the area.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection activated its emergency response team on Sunday, and its contractor Clean Harbors put in place several booms and other absorbent materials meant to collect oil at multiple points along a mile-long stretch of the river, according to agency spokesperson Danielle Burney.
State and local officials have not yet determined the cause or source of the spill, but believe it stems from Leverett Pond, upstream of the Muddy River. The New England Wildlife Center said in a social media post that the spill is suspected to be heating oil, but authorities have not yet confirmed that detail.
Meanwhile, on Monday morning, a team from the wildlife center was working together with Boston park rangers to find, capture and transport ducks and geese which were harmed by the oil.
Zak Mertz, the nonprofit’s CEO, was at the scene wearing a white hazmat suit. He and other workers on both banks of the river were walking the length of the impacted area looking for birds with oil on them. At one point, he and two park rangers found and corralled a goose which was covered in oil, tucking it under his arm before putting it into a box and loading it into a van.
The organization brought 15-20 birds back to its hospital in Weymouth on Sunday, and had captured several others soon after resuming rescue efforts Monday morning.
Most of the effects of the oil on the birds that Mertz and his team treated on Sunday were “mild,” he said. But that comes with a downside: the birds are still able to fly, so some may have left the area still with oil on them before they could be captured and treated.
In a statement, the town of Brookline said that a number of town employees had responded to the scene. Water and sewer personnel assisted with trying to identify the leak’s source and offered materials to MassDEP for containment efforts. Environmental engineers provided access to maps and records for water lines and drainage. And Brookline park rangers and its conservation manager worked with the wildlife center to relocate and capture the impacted birds.
The town urged residents not to approach wildlife. Members of the public “should not approach wildlife on their own because of the potential for causing unintentional harm, coming into contact with the contaminant, or frightening the animals away from the area where aid efforts are ongoing,” the statement says.
More photos from the Muddy River oil spill and wildlife rescue:
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