UPDATE: April 19, Thursday at 10 a.m.: A Con Edison spokesman told West Side Rag on Thursday that clean up operations at Pier 98 are now concluding but that crews will continue to monitor the area within the pier’s permanent containment boom.
Meanwhile, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation told WSR last Thursday that the total size of the oil spill at the 59th Street Plant was about 4,000 gallons.
However, information Con Ed provided to Community Board 4 this week suggests the total amount of oil recovered from the river was only about 60 gallons, suggesting most of the oil was contained within the plant and did not enter the river.
ORIGINAL STORY
By Daniel Katzive
Con Edison has experienced an oil leak into the Hudson River from the utility’s West 59th Street steam plant.
A reader reached out to West Side Rag to report signs of cleanup activity at Pier 98, which is connected to the steam plant, on Wednesday. A containment boom had been deployed and workers were removing material from the water. The tipster also said they saw signs of a sheen on the water.
In response to a query from WSR, Con Ed provided the following statement:
“On April 7, Con Edison discovered the presence of oil in the Hudson River within the permanent containment boom surrounding Pier 98. We immediately installed an additional containment boom, as well as an absorbent boom. The oil likely originated from the Con Edison Steam Generating Plant on 59th Street, as the plant experienced an internal leak on April 6 that was initially contained within the plant. The U.S. Coast Guard, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation have been notified and continue to oversee the cleanup operations.”
As WSR wrote about back in 2022, the 59th Street plant produces steam for utility customers in midtown and on the Upper West Side. Pier 98 serves as a delivery dock for the backup fuel oil the utility sometimes relies on in winter when natural gas is in short supply. It has an outflow for water released by the plant. The pier also houses an unrelated cooling mechanism for a nearby electrical substation. Con Ed provided a detailed presentation to the Hudson River Park Advisory Council on operations at the pier back in September 2022 which can be viewed on YouTube.
WSR has reached out to the Coast Guard and state DEC and will update this article as further information is available.
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This has been happening for 100+ years.
Con Ed has been polluting this water for decades. They need to take some responsibility and clean up.
The oil leak was spotted by the 72 street pier 2 days ago. It was about 20 feet long
Last week Con Edison admitted to leaking 1,000 gallons of dielectric fluid (oil) into the Bronx River from their facility in Yonkers, they are still cleaning it up. Nearby residents reported that they closed their windows because of the oil fumes. This will have a negative impact on wildlife including water fowl. Members of NYC Council and Bronx Congress Rep. Ritchie Torres appear to be ignoring these spills and have not released any statements regarding actions against Con Edison.
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/newyork/news/bronx-river-oil-spill-con-edison/
On March 27, 5 kayakers at the Pier 84 Boathouse saw the oil spill. It stretched from W44th to W59th St along the west side, leading to the Con Ed plant location. No one had seen anything like it anywhere before on the Hudson River. We got videos and photos. Much has been done to restore the healthy watershed, it’s a treasure at our doorstep that we should care for and protect.
Government and the locals need to hold ConEd responsible…