Eversource: Release of transmission fluid into Charles River in Dover being mitigated
Police on Tuesday shared a notice from Eversource following contamination of an “unknown volume” of cable transmission fluid into the Charles River in Dover.
In the notice from Eversource, shared on the Facebook page of Dover Police, officials said the contamination occurred at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“Eversource gained knowledge of a release of an unknown volume of Pipe-Type Cable (PTC) Transmission Fluid on the south side of the bridge crossing the Charles River on Chestnut Street in Dover, MA,” the notice said. “The PTC fluid was observed trickling through a crack in the paved roadway, indicating a release from the underground transmission pipe. For reference, PTC transmission is used by Eversource to supply electricity to substations in congested areas. PTC fluid is a low toxicity, highly refined synthetic dielectric fluid that does not contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The PTC fluid acts as an insulator and cooling medium in the transmission line.”
Eversource said in its notice that MassDEP was notified within two hours after learning of the release.
“Response actions are being performed under an approved Immediate Response Action (IRA),” the notice said. “While impacts to the river from the release were not initially observed during assessment and repair activities being performed on December 23, absorbent boom was deployed in the Charles River on upstream and downstream sides of the bridge as a conservative measure to contain potential impacts from the release to surface water.”
The booms were deployed by Clean Harbors Environmental Services of Weymouth, under the observation of Tighe & Bond and Eversource personnel, the notice said.
“On December 24, 2023, Tighe & Bond and Eversource personnel returned to the release site to observe conditions during daylight hours, and impacts consisting of sheen emanating from the upstream (southwest) side of the Chestnut Street bridge were observed on the Charles River,” the Eversource notice said. “Additional absorbent and containment (hard) boom were deployed to further contain and mitigate the release.”
According to the notice, the boom “will continue to be monitored over the upcoming days, and recover emulsified PTC fluid that may accumulate behind the boom. Due to current flood conditions in the area, only limited sheen/emulsified PTC fluid removal is considered safe to perform.”
“When the flood waters recede and flow rate is reduced, additional mitigation measures consisting of additional boom deployment and/or skimming of PTC fluid from the surface water will be performed,” the notice said. “Once the sheen and emulsified PTC fluid sufficiently dissipates, the booms will be removed and properly disposed.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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