PORTAGE LAKE, Maine — The environmental impacts of a logging vehicle that broke through the ice on a boggy section of Portage Lake appear to be minimal, according to initial estimates by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
The grapple skidder that was removed from the lake in Aroostook County on Wednesday, lost 20 to 25 gallons of diesel fuel, according to a DEP official.
Maine DEP Oil and Hazardous Materials Responder Jesse Clark recovered much of the diesel fuel using absorbent mats designed to suck up only the petroleum product. Clark said he plans on returning to Portage Lake on Friday, to see what conditions are like on the ice.
The recovery from the diesel being spilled on the floating islands — spongy masses of peat moss and decayed plant matter — on Portage Lake is expected to happen fairly quickly, Clark said.
Maine DEP and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife plan to do a final evaluation of the area the grapple skidder was stuck in once the ice melts, Clark said. Regional Biologist Amanda DeMusz will assist in the final evaluation.
Gary Belanger drove his skidder onto the frozen lake on Thursday, Feb. 22 and broke through the estimated 5 inches of ice about 200 feet from shore. The vehicle immediately sank into eight inches of frozen peat moss that slowly dragged the logging vehicle into it.
The grapple skidder was not close to hitting the bottom of the bog. It remained stuck there for nearly six days.
Extraction of the grapple skidder took a full day. M. Rafford Construction employees worked with Belanger to pull the vehicle out in mild weather conditions.
“The front tire and the blade of the skidder is what saved [Belanger]”, Clark said, referring to the parts of the vehicle that wedged firmly on the ice and prevented the vehicle from sinking.
Belanger is unlikely to be fined. Maine DEP will pick up the costs for expenses associated with the response, according to Clark.
