SWFL officials say cost to clean up dumped oil could reach $250K

WINK News

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is now in charge of cleaning up hundreds of gallons of oil dumped into a Charlotte County ditch.

It happened right at the intersection of US 41 south of Zemel Road in Punta Gorda.

On Thursday, Charlotte County and Lee County officials were out at the dump site trying to clean it up.

“We have the concern of it soaking into the aquifer and harming possible animals that live in that area. There’s just a host of reasons that it was a really bad decision,” said Katie Heck, the spokeswoman for the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

Lee County officials say it could cost as much as $250,000 to clean it all up.

Charlotte deputies are urging anyone with information on who might have dumped the oil to call Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS.

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