Milford Beach at Delaware Water Gap to close Wednesday for hazmat drill

MILFORD, Pa. - Milford Beach in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area will be closed to the public from sunrise to sunset Wednesday for a multi-agency, multi-hazard response exercise.

The closure includes the beach, picnic area, pavilion and boat and canoe launches. Also closed will be the McDade Trail in that area.

The exercise is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a drill centered on a theoretical hazmat or oil spill in the upper Delaware River. No harmful chemicals, oil or hazardous material will be released into the river, officials said, but booms may be put in the water by participants in the exercise as drill conditions would determine.

The exercise will be based at Milford Beach, but will involve the river on both sides as far south as Dingmans Bridge.

“The best time to plan for an emergency of any kind, is not when you are in the middle of one,” said Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Superintendent Doyle Sapp. “Joint training exercises like this one help us to test our response, identify and improve on weaknesses, improve coordination among agencies, and develop informed response plans so that we can be better prepared to protect our staff, the public, and the natural and cultural resources in our care when something does happen.” 

According to NPS officials, there will be signs posted to alert the public to the fact this is a drill and residents in the area will also see response vehicles from multiple agencies and activities on the Delaware River.

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Those response vehicles will include command posts as well as police, fire and boat personnel. The river will remain open during the exercise though civilian users can expect to see increased activity between Milford Beach and Dingmans Access, the boat launch adjacent to the bridge.. 

Among participants are the Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, the U.S. Coast Guard and Fish and Wildlife Service. Among other agencies will be the New Jersey and Pennsylvania departments of environmental protection, county agencies from both sides of the river as well as local fire departments and the owners of Dingmans Bridge.

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Delaware Water Gap says Milford Beach PA to close for drill