Greenberg, Louisville MSD offer more details on cleanup efforts from site of UPS crash

Mayor Craig Greenberg urged Louisville residents to continue to avoid the scene of a UPS plane crash in a press conference Nov. 10, almost one week after the tragic crash.

A UPS cargo plane headed to Honolulu crashed near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport Nov. 4, sparking a massive fire and a death toll of 14. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirmed oil cleanup was underway Nov. 6, according to previous reporting by The Courier Journal .

"This is a situation where early action prevented an even worse catastrophe from happening," Greenberg said.

First responders are still working at the site to move heavy equipment and plane parts in order to potentially recover the bodies of additional victims, and will remain inaccessible for some time, he said.

"[The crash site] remains a dangerous place to be, so that's why it's restricted to first responders," Greenberg added.

Cleanup of miles-long oil spill continues

Officials are still working to cleanup a large oil spill triggered by the Nov. 4 crash and the rupture of several large petroleum storage tanks on the ground. Greenberg said oil was pooled several feet deep in some places after the crash, and the spill reached more than four miles downstream, according to the EPA.

As of Nov. 10, the EPA estimated containment efforts had reduced the sheen to a three-mile stretch, "with pooled oil present in the first half-mile closest to the incident site," and the agency said response teams had recovered "more than 286,000 gallons of oil-water mix."

Teams from the Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District responded shortly after the crash. Greenberg credited MSD's "early action" for preventing about 30,000 gallons of oil from contaminating local groundwater.

Louisville MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott said local, state and federal partners, in addition to a UPS contractor, are still working to recover spilled oil from the scene and in downstream waterways. As a precaution, the district continues to advise residents to avoid contact with waterways in southwest Jefferson County, including Northern Ditch, Southern Ditch and Pond Creek, which runs down to the Salt River.

Parrott said MSD was aware of reports of dead fish downstream of the crash, but did not provide details on specific impacts to fish or wildlife. The district "will continue to do our assessments every day," he said, amid ongoing "water quality challenges."

The National Safety Transportation Board will continue to investigate the crash.

"We want those answers now," U.S. Rep Morgan McGarvey said. "They want those answers as well, but they're going to make sure they're right before they get them out there to the public."

Jefferson County coroner working on identifying crash victims

Greenberg said the bodies of those recovered from the crash site are with the Jefferson County Coroner's Office, who has been diligently working to identify the victims. Due to the severity of the burns, DNA testing has been required to fully identify many of the bodies, but more information will be released after the families of the victims have been notified.

Greenberg also said the city plans to set up a hotline number for anyone affected by the disaster by Nov. 11, as well as a community resource center available to the public by the end of the week.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: UPS plane crash cleanup continues in Louisville