Minor fuel spill in Wicomico River

Potential damage to the Wicomico River was averted Sunday at the Cato Gas Oil and Propane facility as  company employees and the Salisbury fire department worked quickly to clean up a diesel fuel spill in the Wicomico River.

According to Cato officials, when a boat came in to dock at their facility a small leak was noticed by a Cato employee.

Officials say the boat had been out on the Chesapeake Bay Saturday night and conditions created a small hole in the body.

Fuel leaks are extremely rare officials say, but none the less, they are always prepared in the event one happens.   

“Anytime we have any spill, whether it be one drop, that we immediately call the emergency services and we put out boom,” said Russell Winters, Cato’s CFO. 

Boom, officials say,  is what the company uses to prevent product that has spilled from contaminating a body of water.

Officials say it floats on the water and has a skirt that drops down that contains the fuel or oil.

Within two hours  the spill had been contained  and cleaned, avoiding any potential contamination.

Cato officials expressed their thanks that both emergency services and their employees responded quickly, as that played a key part in preventing any damage from coming to the river.