OSCEOLA – The DNR is investigating a fish kill and cleanup of spilled grease from a food processor west of Osceola in Clarke County.
Osceola Foods notified DNR Sunday morning that a pumping station failed, allowing a grease-water mix to flow overland to a ditch that leads to White Breast Creek south of Osceola.
Initially, the company thought the spill was limited to 200 gallons, and contracted for cleanup with a HazMat company.
Despite cleanup efforts Sunday afternoon, DNR staff found Monday that the mixture ran into about a quarter-mile of the drainage ditch, leaving small fish dead along a 1,500-foot stretch of the ditch. The contractor blocked the ditch with straw bales, flushed the area and pumped up the grease mix.
By Tuesday, the mixture had moved beyond the straw barrier towards White Breast Creek. While the HazMat contractor continues cleanup and product recovery, a sheen of product may reach White Breast Creek.
Test results show various levels of dissolved oxygen levels in the tributary stream and DNR has not found more dead fish.
The DNR will continue to monitor cleanup efforts and will consider appropriate enforcement actions, including fish restitution.