Marlpit Hall Oil Tank Overflow Being Remedied

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[singlepic id=1023 w= h= float=none]MIDDLETOWN –Remediation is continuing this week and will be ongoing following an undergound oil tank overflow at Marlpit Hall, Kings Highway last Wednesday.
Emergency crews, township and county workers, and staff from the Monmouth County Historical Association worked together last week, capping the oil tank and resolving the immediate serious issue before it became an environmental calamity.
“We were anxious to retain the services of a company we knew had extensive experience in resolving the type of problem we encountered,” said Evelyn Murphy, director of the Historical Association, speaking of hiring Charles Hoffmann & Son company of Wall Township.
Murphy herself was on the scene last week as soon as she received word of the flow, apparently caused by rainwater seeping into what initially appears to be a break in the tank. Workers also worked quickly to separate water from oil, and capture the oil before it created environmental problems.
The Fire Department quickly closed off a portion of Kings Highway at the height of the work to stop the flow, which was running down the driveway of Marlpit Hall. An oil company, which serviced the Association quickly identified the source of the flow and employees were able to cap off the tank and make temporary corrections. Firemen also went through the basement of the historic building to ensure there was no damage there or any possibility of any future damage. Within 18 hours, Hoffmann & Son was on the scene pumping all the residual fluids in the tank and beginning the remediation process to ensure against any further leakage.
There was no damage to Marlpit Hall, the director continued, referring to the 1757 home of the Taylors, a prominent Loyalist family in colonial times. The historic structure, one of five owned by the county Historical Association, is a stop on the NJ Women’s Heritage Trail and is the scene for the annual King George Birthday Party held to commemorate the large Loyalist population that lived in this section of Monmouth County along with the Tories during the Revolution. The house is adjacent to the Taylor-Butler House, a Victorian mansion built approximately a century later than Marlpit Hall, by later generations of the Taylor family and also owned by the Association. Marlpit Hall is currently closed for the season, as are all the homes open for visitation and educational experiences during the spring, summer and fall months.
Nor was the present administration at the association aware there was an underground tank on the premises, Murphy said. “We’ve been heating with natural gas for years and did not know this tank existed.”
Hoffman & Sons worked throughout the night last week to scrape away all the surface oil and dig up the tank. Because of heavy rains since then, work could not be completed; however, the company isolated the contaminated dirt and covered it securely with tarps to prevent any leakage, and has also closed off the affected area to ensure continued safety.
“But so much more damage could have been caused, so many more environmental issues could have occurred, had it not been for the outstanding efficiency and cooperation of all those who came to resolve the problem,” Murphy said. “It’s so reassuring to know Monmouth County and Middletown in particular, are so quick and capable to respond to emergencies.”
Although the tank is securely capped and emptied, the detailed plan for continued remediation and cleanup is still ongoing, so the director could not give any estimate of the cost of the project.
— By Muriel J. Smith