IPSWICH — About 20 gallons of oil contaminated a swampy area off Old Right Road when someone illegally dumped it there, along with assorted car parts.
Police and firefighters responded around 3:30 p.m. and called in the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to clean up the mess, Ipswich fire Lt. Dennis Durrell said.
"They took about 20 gallons of waste oil and threw it in a swampy area," he said. The land is owned by the town.
The dirt road is by the Willowdale State Forest. A jogger spotted a large pile of trash and notified the town. Durrell said there was "probably a truckload" of old car parts, brake cleaning fluid and other mechanical equipment, which points to someone who works on cars. Police, he said, are going through the pile and looking for information.
The oil did not appear to have contaminated any wells or drinking water.
"Not that we know of at this point," Durrell said.
Staff writer Cate Lecuyer can be reached at clecuyer@salem news.com.
