Saturday, November 17, 2012

Mystery surrounds oil container left in Crocker Pond area

WESTMINSTER -- Planning Board President William "Bud" Taylor said he believes an open container of black oil he found in the Crocker Pond Recreation Area was left there deliberately to send a message, but he's not sure what that message is or who could have left it.

Last Saturday, Taylor was walking one of the trails near Crocker Pond and spotted a blue plastic fuel container situated precariously next to one of the streams. The cap was missing and he could not find it nearby.

The container was half filled with a liquid he said looked like the motor oil that would be used for a chain saw, and it was surrounded by sawdust. Taylor, who owns and operates a chain saw himself, said there was too much oil for someone to lug into the woods to use on a chain saw and there were no cut trees or branches that could have produced the sawdust.

He said if something like a falling object or an animal had contacted the container, the oil would have spilled into the river and possibly killed the brook trout that live there.

"I would love to know who did it," said Taylor. He said with all the conflict about potential environmental impact on the rivers and streams near Crocker Pond, he believes someone put it there to make a statement, possibly about how easily it could fall in and pollute the river.

"It's better it was a statement and not an action," said Taylor. He offered no theories as to who would have left it.

He ended up giving the container to the

police. It was then disposed of at the Department of Public Works facility.

Selectman Heather Billings, who also serves on the Crocker Pond Recreation Area Committee, said she has no idea why the container was left there, but said the spot where it was found is near the railroad tracks, and anyone could have wandered in without too much effort.

Billings said she doesn't have any theories on how it got there and said all of the people who maintain the trail were present this week when Taylor reported his findings to the Crocker Pond Recreation Area Committee and none of them said they left it there by mistake.

Donna Brownell, founder of Watchdogs for an Environmentally Safe Town, said her group is always concerned about the streams, but said she wasn't there and didn't want to speculate on how the container got there.

For any tips on the origin of the oil, contact mhartwell@sentinelandenterprise.com.

Source: http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/ci_22016965/mystery-surrounds-oil-container-left-crocker-pond-area?source=rss_viewed

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