Man who caused oil spill gets probation

Sept. 22--A Washington Township man who caused an oil spill into a lake and creek last year while emptying his pool was sentenced Monday to five years of probation, contingent on his completing 150 hours of community service, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office said.

John Caldwell, 48, pleaded guilty in May after authorities charged him in connection with the June 29, 2014, spill that unleashed several thousand gallons of oil into Spring Lake and Mantua Creek.

Authorities said Caldwell, then a truck operator for an environmental services firm, used a vacuum truck to drain the water from his pool and dumped it in front of his home on Uranus Road. In doing so, he inadvertently released "cutting oil" from the truck's tank into the storm drain, which drains to the lake and creek.

Caldwell said he believed the truck was empty, officials said. He was fired from the company after the incident.

Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson also ordered Caldwell to pay a $5,000 fine, plus about $2,400 for the cost of local firefighters' overtime.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection oversaw cleanup of the affected areas by a private contractor, which recovered about 3,000 gallons of oil. The DEP collected nearly $230,000 in restitution through insurance for Caldwell's employer.