EPA Trying To Identify Substance In Deep Fork River

The feds dispatch a field crew to Green Country to track the source of some murky contamination.

The Environmental Protection Agency's John Rinehart hitched a ride with Will Kavanagh in Osage SkyNews 6 H.D. to get a look from the air.

Will flew over the Deep Fork River between Lake Eufaula and Okfuskee County, where late last week a spill was reported to the Okmulgee County Emergency Management Department.

9/13/2014 Related Story: Okmulgee County Crews Seek Source Of Spill Into Deep Fork River

They flew up the river and were able to see some areas of the river were darker and the banks were a little more discolored.

When asked if he knew what the source was, Rinehart said they weren't sure.

“Not yet. The Department of Environmental Quality and the state of Oklahoma came out and did some testing on Thursday and Friday and we plan on doing some additional testing today to kind of get a little better idea of what's going on,” Rinehart said.

Log jams and booms have been placed along the river.

“The booms is, you know, starting to cross the river. It's an absorbent material, so if it's an oil based material, the absorbent will catch that,” Rinehart said. “We put it in two locations. Doesn't look like it's an oil, at this time, and that's kind of precautionary, and that's why we want to collect some more samples to see what this actually is.”

Rinehart said that they've plotted where the first report of the substance came from, Okfuskee County. He said the distance on the river, mileage-wise, was about 73 to 74 miles. He said they hadn't identified what it is yet, so it's difficult for them to tell what kind of impact to the environment or farmers' livestock would be.

If anyone has clues that can point the E.P.A. to the source of the contamination you can call 918-759-9984.