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Ferguson Township residents voiced concerns about an oil spill at a community meeting

A panel of public officials sit in front of a room of Ferguson Township residents to listen to their concerns and answer questions about a recent oil spill.
Katie Knol
/
WPSU
A panel of public officials sit in front of a room of Ferguson Township residents to listen to their concerns and answer questions about a recent oil spill.

At a Ferguson Township community meeting on Thursday, locals discussed a recent oil spill and the information they still feel is missing about what happened.

Last month, an oil company pumped heating oil into the basement of the wrong house in the Piney Ridge neighborhood southwest of State College. A sump pump released the oil into a nearby stream.

At an open forum held by Ferguson Township officials, residents voiced questions and concerns about their soil and drinking water. The officials provided updates about the timeline of events and answered some questions.

They couldn't answer all the residents' questions, though. They repeatedly told residents that questions about the ongoing investigation must be directed to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, which has jurisdiction over the case.

Officials also wouldn't reveal what house the spill originated from or who was responsible, citing privacy concerns.

Ferguson Township residents expressed frustration that there was not a DEP representative at the meeting to answer their questions.

"Where in the hell is the DEP tonight?" one resident said to applause. "We can't talk to you, why wouldn't you have them? I feel like I'm in East Palestine."

Residents were told a report will be publicly available when the DEP finishes its investigation. In the meantime, any personal well testing will be at the residents' expense.

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Katie Knol is a WPSU radio news intern for fall 2022.