DELAWARE WATER GAP (WOLF) —
National Park areas with bodies of water allow people to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and that’s what the Delaware Water Gap aims to achieve for it's visitors.
But last week, they received a report of an oil sheen on Hidden Lake near the park headquarters. Now, they're reminding people the park is not an area to change their oil.
“Our rangers, Shawnee Fire Company, and the Monroe County Office of Emergency Management responded to the scene. They did observe a sheen on the water and saw that some oil rags had been thrown into the lake,” said Cessna.
Dani Cessna, chief of interpretation education and partnerships at the Delaware Water Gap says the ecosystem and environment they are trying to protect can be harmed by the oil.
“It is a pollutant that’s being introduced into the environment. You have amphibians who are susceptible to pollutants that can impact them, there are fish in the water,” she said.
Cessna says efforts were made to help get rid of the oil out of the lake, but it’s impossible to fully get it all out.
“We had booms which are floating sock-like absorbers, and then we also had oil absorbing rags that we were able to put out. We did that around the oil sheen, and at the spillway for the lake so it couldn’t go downstream and further contaminate the water,” said Cessna.
“We want folks to either change their oil at the auto garage, or in their driveway and then dispose of it properly,” she said.
The Hidden Lake is a spot loved by many who live in the area and they say places like it have to be kept the way they are.
“This is one of my favorite places, I come here all the different seasons. It needs to be respected for what it is,” said Joseph Tessitore of Bushkill.
“Coming in and doing stuff like that, there are a lot of places you can change your oil. If you’re going to do it here, at least be conscious enough and not put the oil in the water, it just destroys the place,” said Tessitore.
“This is a beautiful place, and a little bit of consideration will keep it that way,” he said.
Cessna says they are trying to protect the park for generations to come, but if more people continue to dump oil in the water, it will have a negative impact on the park.
If you witness incidents like this, officials say it should be reported to park dispatch at (570) 426 - 2457.