A Gloucester County man was sentenced to five years probation on Monday for "recklessly causing an oil spill last year in Spring Lake and Mantua Creek in Washington Township,
John Caldwell, 48, of Washington Township TRENTON — A Gloucester County man was sentenced to five years probation on Monday for recklessly causing an oil spill last year in Spring Lake and Mantua Creek in Washington Township, Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced in a news release.
John Caldwell, 48, of Washington Township, must pay a $5,000 fine and $2,385 in overtime services by the Washington Township Fire Department after using a vacuum tank truck full of an industrial solvent to empty his pool at his home.
According to the attorney general's office, Caldwell discharged the truck's contents into a storm drain despite there being a "No dumping" sign on display. The storm drain feeds to both bodies of water.
Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson issued the sentence, which included 150 hours of community service.
He pleaded guilty in May to third-degree charges of violating the Water Pollution Control Act and causing or risking widespread injury or damage.
Caldwell had told officials he thought the truck was empty. It had been used to transport a petroleum distillate called "cutting oil," the release said.
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Caldwell was caught after investigators traced the spill to the storm drain in front of his house on Uranus Road.
About 3,000 gallons of oil were recovered from the lake and the creek. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which oversaw the cleanup, collected nearly $230,000 in restitution for the cleanup costs and other expenses, the release said.
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
