NEW ROCHELLE – An oil spill shut down Pryer Terrace for several hours earlier today as hundreds of gallons of home heating oil was accidentally dumped onto the back driveway of Rice Hall on the Iona College campus.
The incident began at about 8:30 a.m. Friday when one of three compartments in the truck fractured, allowing oil to leak out, spilling onto the roadway and down a hill.
Iona College facilities crew were on hand when the oil spill began.
“As part of our standard procedure, our staff escorted the oil truck to the location,” said Iona spokesperson Brian Beyrer.
“Our guys responded immediately,” he added.
Beyrer said Iona grounds crew brought in a back hoe to quickly dig a trench, allowing the oil to pool near the spill. Dirt dug up nearby was used to create walls to further trap the oil in place. An environmental services company put down booms to catch the oil, hoses to vacuum up oil and material to soak up excess oil remaining on the ground.
The oil truck, with a storage capacity of 2,500 gallons, was pulling into the driveway when the incident occurred.
Thomas Carey, a spokesman for Sprague Oil which operates the vehicle, said only one of three compartments in the tank was damaged limiting the amount of oil that escaped.
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