Diesel fuel leaks into river

MILFORD – About 1,525 gallon of diesel fuel leaked from a gasoline station Sunday, and some of the fuel made its way into the Souhegan River, according to state officials.

The spill was at Snack Corner, at 24 Elm St. Emergency crews from Milford, Amherst, and Merrimack responded, said Carl Woodbury of the state Department of Environmental Services.

Nashua’s Souhegan Mutual Aid Response Team – a team of firefighters that assists regional communities with events involving hazardous materials strung booms across the river, according to Merrimack Fire Department.

As of Sunday night, it was unclear how much diesel fuel remained underground and how much made it to the river, but officials don’t think all of it leaked into the waterway.

“I would say this constitutes a big spill,” said Woodbury who is a supervisor of the Spill Response and Complaint Investigation Section.

Apparently, the diesel escaped into a culvert that carries storm water across the street and into the Souhegan, he said.

The leak was first reported around 11 a.m., when residents called the Milford Fire Department because of a strange odor in town and a sheen on the water, said Woodbury.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency also responded.