Officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are trying to determine exactly how some heating oil spilled into Lake Ariel. The spill occurred last weekend and was contained with oil booms by by hazmat workers.

A DEP spokeswoman said that the oil may have leaked into lake from a nearby oil storage tank that was overfilled.

A storage tank at Howe Convenient Market on state Route 191, has been reported as a possible source of the oil.

A nearby trucking company also experienced a 100-gallon oil spill at about the same time, and is also being investigated by the DEP.

Last summer, about 10,000 fish in the lake were killed by a company who had been hired to combat the spread of algae in the lake. According to various news reports, the company, Allied Biological, improperly used copper sulfate.