Sunoco Pipeline LP agreed to a settlement Monday after spilling thousands of gallons of drilling fluids while installing a pipeline in August 2020.
The company agreed to dredge part of the lake and pay over $4 million in fines for the spill, according to a Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) press release. The spill occurred at Marsh Creek State Park, a popular Pennsylvania state park just outside Philadelphia.
The spill contaminated wetlands, tributaries and part of the 535-acre lake at Marsh Creek State Park in Chester County. https://t.co/znZFfPvQF6
— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) December 7, 2021
“Southeast Pennsylvania lost a significant recreational resource when the impacted area of the lake was closed due to the drilling fluid impacts, and many residents and community members expressed the need to restore those opportunities,” Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said.
Marsh Creek State Park is the fifth-most visited state park in the state, according to Dunn. (RELATED: California Residents Sue Oil Company Responsible For Major Beach Oil Spill)
Authorities shut down roughly 33 acres of the park’s lake following the spill, 6 ABC reported. The spill also contaminated tributaries and wetlands surrounding the lake.
Sunoco agreed to dredge the lake, replace all wildlife habitat structures and restore the shoreline. The company will also be required to post a $4 million bond to ensure they complete the cleanup, pay $4 million to the DCNR, and a civil penalty of $341,000 for permit violations.
“We look forward to working with [the DCNR] on this restoration effort,” Sunoco told the Daily Caller in a statement.