SUNAPEE — Fire crews responded to a oil spill in Sunapee Harbor on Tuesday morning.
They responded to the reported contamination in the harbor along Garnet Street around 10:45 a.m., according to a news release from the Sunapee Fire Department. By that time, a 700-foot-wide oil slick had spread around several docks.
Bystanders reported that the oil may have come from a boat that was pulled out of the water earlier that morning.
Sunapee Fire has not been able to confirm what caused the spill and said there was no source actively spilling oil Tuesday morning.
Sunapee draws its drinking water from an intake pump in Lake Sunapee. Staff from the town’s water and sewer department confirmed that there was no risk to the town water supply on Tuesday.
Crews from Sunapee, New London and Newbury, N.H., set up a containment system using absorbent booms to stop the spill from spreading and also put absorbent collection pads into the water.
The crews collected all of the spilled oil over the course of three hours. Seventeen officers were on the scene with fire vehicles, a boat and hazmat supplies.
The Fire Department also notified the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and Marine Patrol of the spill, but neither agency participated in the response.
Emergency crews responded to a similarly large oil spill in Sunapee Harbor in June 2023. The Sunapee Cruises boat tour agency spilled 70 gallons of fuel oil into the lake, creating a slick that extended over 600 feet.
Emergency responders cleaned up that spill with absorbent booms and pads and a vacuum truck that sucks up contaminated water.