NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Con Edison now estimates 61,500 gallons of dielectric fluid leaked from an electric feeder cable running under Neptune Avenue in New Rochelle, NY.
That figure far exceeds the initial Con Edison estimate of 1,700 gallons or the 17,000 gallons estimate provided by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation a week later.
Con Edison immediately reported the spill to DEC, repaired the line, and hired several contractors to clean up the harbor area and land adjacent to the spill. The cleanup includes the use of skimmer boats, vacuum trucks and application of absorbent materials.
Con Edison owns and maintains underground electric cables that carry electrical power from Westchester County to Long Island. The lines are cooled by dielectric fluid, a fine clear mineral oil like substance.
We have asked Con Edison to clarify the exact type of transformer oil they used as dialectic fluid and how much of the 61,500 gallons of dialectic fluid made its way into Long Island Sound and how much was captured by pumper trucks and carted away.
Con Edison says they are moving toward a conclusion of the incident which began on July 17 when a damaged transmission feeder gushed dialectic oil (not PCBs) onto Nautilus Place then into a storm water run off drain and under Drake Avenue before emptying into the waters off Wright Island, an inlet off Long Island Sound. They say they have begun removing equipment from the Wright Island Marina in New Rochelle.
“The company has worked around-the-clock on the cleanup, which included the on-water area, marina, boat slips, docks, streets, sidewalks, and other surfaces,” a Con Edison spokesperson said. “The company appreciates the patience of the marina and boat owners and others in the area”.
Con Edison crews will maintain a presence in the area while conducting the electric feeder repair and restoration.
Con Edison says they are coordinating operations with the U.S. Coast Guard, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Westchester County Department of Health, Westchester County Department of Parks, the New Rochelle Fire Department and the City of New Rochelle.
“The City has no direct jurisdiction over either the incident or the cleanup,” City Manager Charles B. Strome said.
“We are working with relevant State and County authorities to provide any required support such as traffic control. The County’s Health Department is working in concert with the State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Coast Guard to support cleanup efforts and the City is prepared to assist if requested.”
On July 22, Con Edison issued an FAQ:
Mid-day on Saturday, July 17, dielectric fluid leaked from Con Edison transmission feeder Y50 into a manhole on Nautilus Place. Some dielectric fluid migrated to a nearby catch basin on Drake Avenue, then into New Rochelle Harbor. That afternoon, Con Edison clamped the feeder, stopped the leak, and immediately started working to contain and remove the fluid.
Dielectric fluid is a non-hazardous fluid that consists of mineral oil. Its purpose is to keep the transmission cable cool, so that it can carry power reliably.
Con Edison is leading the cleanup effort and coordinating with governmental agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and Westchester Department of Health. Con Edison’s Spill Management Team is working with oil spill response contractors to contain and recover the fluid in the harbor utilizing protective booming, absorbent materials, and oil skimming equipment.
The Company is staffing a mobile customer information center — an outreach van — to answer questions from the community. The outreach van will be located at Drake Avenue and Nautilus Place in New Rochelle from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day through Sunday, July 25. The public may also call 1-800-75-CONED.
Con Edison will be recovering fluid from the water, and cleaning affected equipment in the marinas (e.g., boats, docks), streets, driveways, yards, and sidewalks that were impacted by the fluid.
We are assessing how much fluid leaked. Active assessment and recovery efforts are ongoing.
The fluid is being contained with effective booming strategies. Protective booming was deployed around the perimeter of the leak to prevent the fluid from traveling out of the containment zone.
A claimant may submit a claim for removal costs performed in accordance with the National Contingency Plan; damage to natural resources; damage to or loss of real or personal property; loss of subsistence use of natural resources; loss of government revenues; loss of profits and earnings capacity; and increased cost of public services. Claims forms are available in multiple languages — or email NewClaims@coned.com.
A claimant may present a claim for interim short-term damages representing less than the full amount to which the claimant ultimately may be entitled. Payment of such claim shall not preclude recovery for damages not reflected in the paid or settled partial claim.
If Con Edison denies or does not resolve a claim within 90 days after submission, the claimant may then submit the claim to the Director, National Pollution Funds Center (Ca), US COAST GUARD STOP 7605, 2703 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AVE SE, WASHINGTON, DC 20593-7605, for consideration.
If you observe oiled wildlife, please call Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, a Con Edison contractor, at 1-800-261- 0980 and be ready to provide the location, the number of animals, the date, time, and species. For the safety of the public and wildlife, please don’t try to rescue the animal yourself.
Tim Kemp, a reader, reported on July 21, that he was out on the Sound the night before and saw oil “absolutely everywhere.”
“No fish were jumping at all — normally there’d be millions of them. There is filth and ooze everywhere. They did not “successfully contain” it in Wright Island at all. Attached is photos of the water around Mamaroneck.
In a statement on July 24, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Spills said they responded to a spill of dielectric fluid from underground electric power cables into the waters around Wright Island on July 17 resulting in the release of approximately 17,000 gallons of dielectric fluid flowing down the street and into the waters of New Rochelle. DEC said they are overseeing Con Edison’s ongoing cleanup.
DEC said they were not aware of any impacts to drinking water supplies and is monitoring potential impacts to wildlife. For any questions, on drinking water, residents should contact the Westchester County Department of Health.
RELATED:
Major Hazmat Incident in New Rochelle: Explosion, Oil Spill from Multiple Manholes
Con Edison Oil Spill Clean Up at New Rochelle Marina Will Continue For a While
New York State DEC and US Coast Guard Run Oil Spill Drill in Port Chester
I live in Watermark Pointe overlooking the harbor and overlooking a private beach below my terrace. My wife and I sold our house to move here because of the beautiful environment that we thought we could enjoy, I spent a good amount of time on the morning of August 6th walking the beach and harbor areas adjacent to the condominium complex, and noticed multiple oil slicks and a heavy smell of oil at the locations closest to the spill site.
Even the air my terrace that morning distinctively smelled of oil. Clearly Con Edison has not done its job, and unfortunately the governmental departments responsible for supervising the clean up need to be made aware of the need for further action. There is clearly a lack of concern in the part of Con Edison for properly remedying the spill outside of the immediate spill site, and its executives should have their bonuses/salaries level reconsidered in light of this very obvious lack of concern and defalcation of duty. I welcome a call or some contact from government authorities as well as from Con Edison
as to discuss what has been left unaddressed by Con Edison, as I spent hours trying to get through to Con Edison the other day on the telephone without any success. (I didn’t want to use the emergency number for reporting a gas leak, which probably was the only easy way to easily reach them by telephone.) It would be in ConEdison’s best interest
To address the clean up properly before I have to have this matter raised to a higher more public level. I welcome others to let Con Edison, the Westchester Department of Health, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to know of their concerns.
Thank you
Neil Lubarsky
neil@lubarskylaw.com
As of 08/03/2021 I walk Glen Island everyday for 3 hours plus. The water is still a mess. Oil still on the rocks, and the boat ramp is still covered in oil. They did a lousey job on cleanup.