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Oily substance in Appalachian’s Kraut Creek leads to concern |
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Tuesday, 05 December 2006 |
by MILLIE TOLLESON
News Reporter
An oily substance visible in Appalachian State University’s Kraut Creek was reported to the Boone Fire Department Friday.
 Active Image | David Mulvaney | Chief Photographer
An oily substance was recently noticed in Kraut Creek and could be from run off from the road. |  Active Image |
Mike Teague, a lieutenant with the Boone Fire Department, arrived at Kraut Creek around noon Friday.
Teague said he and other fire department officials traced the water upstream but could not find a leak.
Teague said it becomes hard to trace due to the amount of “underground storage” in the creek.
Teague initially believed the oily substance in the water could have been run-off from the cars passing on Rivers Street.
However, after further consideration, Teague said it may have been the result of a small leak.
“It was probably more than just contaminants coming off the street,” Teague said.
“There was probably a leak at some point and it was pushed out by the rain,” he said.
No leak was found, but Teague also speculates the oil may have come from a large truck or a piece of road equipment.
“The bigger we get city-wise, the more this will happen,” Teague said.
Teague said the fire department chose not to do a containment because
the amount of oil in the water had decreased significantly by about 2
p.m.
“Sometimes doing a containment does more damage to the environment than the spill,” Teague said.
“The water was moving so fast, putting in booms would have been useless,” Teague said.
A boom is a piece of equipment used to absorb oil in water, Teague said.
Teague said the spill was “nowhere near the size of a leak” warranting a containment.
Director of the Physical Plant Mike O’Connor said his office does not
usually trace for contamination in Kraut Creek since it is not a trout
stream.
O’Connor, who had not studied the case, speculated the cause may have been a car in a parking lot combined with the rain.
“A teaspoon of oil can go a long way,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor doubts the situation had any connection with campus
construction and said the substance would be more “persistent” if there
were a link.
Teague said he checked construction sites near the creek and did not see any leaks.
O’Connor also noted that incidents such as this are “very typical” during the first part of a big rain.
Teague echoed this, but said the oil found Friday was “more than normal.”
Teague believes everything from the spill was pushed through, but said the fire department will continue to monitor the creek.
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