The City of Plano, along with multiple departments, was tasked with cleaning up an oil spill this week after a traffic accident caused an oil tanker to overturn at the intersection of Spring Creek Parkway and Windhaven Parkway on Friday.
According to a news release, just after 1 p.m. on Friday, May 1, the driver of a white Mazda ran a red light, was struck on the passenger side by an oil tanker truck, pushing the Mazda into a black sedan and overturning the oil tanker truck. The truck and sedan drivers were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the Mazda driver was treated and released at the scene.
Meanwhile, the remnants of the accident left a multi-departmental and multi-day job. Motor oil from the oil tanker truck was spilling into a nearby storm drain that leads to White Rock Creek. Plano Fire-Rescue‘s hazmat team deployed oil-containment booms to stop the spread. Environmental Health and Sustainability city staff members joined some from Public Works to notify downstream cities and begin additional containment efforts. Crews used portable pumps at downstream collection points where oil was accumulated, affected soil was removed and vacuum trucks were used to remove oil from the sewer system and creek.
The City will continue monitoring conditions as cleanup progresses, a representative from the City of Plano said, as well as working closely with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the City of Dallas and City of Richardson.
