DelCo DA Jack Stollsteimer’s office issued a public news release this week announcing charges against the driver of the truck causing the fuel spill in Brookhaven that closed Coeburn Elementary last month. The spill is covered in today’s DelCo Times and other news sources. The charges allege the driver willfully emptied the gasoline despite warning systems at the Gas N Go warning the fuel was spilling in order to shorten his route. There’s apparently video evidence as well, so it sounds like the case is pretty substantial.

Cleanup operations will go on for some time. From the ABC story,

Cleanup is expected to last for the next several months, even years. To date, crews filled more than 100 large trucks of contaminated soil and removed them from the site. Coebourn Elementary will continue to have air quality monitored before kids return to school.

“The storm sewers and the creeks are all still being monitored,” said Robert Montella, fire chief of Brookhaven Fire Company. “We have booms in place …they will be checked daily and that will continue to go on for weeks if not months to come… years.”

Stollsteimer would not indicate how much cleanup has cost so far but the bill is being picked up by insurance, the county and the borough.

As the District Attorney’s release says,

One of my first actions as District Attorney was to establish an Environmental Crimes Unit,

which at this point shows good foresight. Unfortunately the likely extensive bill for the cleanup will be shared between the transport carrier’s insurance, Brookhaven and Delaware County. The articles state its not clear yet what the effect on Coebourn Elementary will be, but it looks like the impact will linger for quite some time.