ConEd Reacts Quickly to Bronx River Oil Spill, But Concerns Linger

December 7, 2009

THE CLEAN-UP OPERATION IN THE BRONX BOTANICAL GARDEN, HOME TO 1.2 MILES OF THE BRONX RIVER (Photos: P. Egan)

THE CLEAN-UP OPERATION IN THE BRONX BOTANICAL GARDEN, HOME TO 1.2 MILES OF THE BRONX RIVER (Photos: P. Egan)

By PATRICK EGAN

In the days before Thanksgiving, dozens of workers in hard hats and orange and yellow vests trudged along the banks of the Bronx River sopping and scooping up the last remnants of a Nov. 4 oil spill from a Consolidated Edison substation in Yonkers.

Conservation experts heralded Con Edison’s quick and diligent response but wouldn’t go so far as to give the river’s ecosystem a clean bill of health.

“We’re watching very closely for harm to wildlife,” said Linda Cox, who heads the Bronx River Alliance, a non-profit that works to restore and protect the river. “Our concern is more about whether there would be more subtle, longer-term effects.”

The spill occured when an explosion at the Dunwoody substation sparked a blaze fueled by dielectric oil, a fluid similar to mineral spirits. “We’re still trying to figure out the cause,” said Chris Olert, a Con Edison spokesperson.

As emergency crews sought to contain the fire, Olert said, fewer than 100 gallons of oil escaped into the Bronx River, home to bullfrogs, painted turtles, carp and much more.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) questioned the amount of oil actually spilled. “No one can truly know how much oil entered the river in Yonkers, and any such estimates are somewhat speculative in nature,” said Thomas Panzone, a spokesperson, in an e-mail.

Conservationists agree that Con Edison’s reaction is an improvement on the ultility company’s response the last time it spilled oil into the river seven years ago. Bob Heinisch, who directs site operations at the New York Botanical Garden, home to about 1.2 miles of the 24-mile Bronx River, remembered far less urgency on ConEd’s part in 2002. Some ducks and other wildlife had been soaked in oil.

“It’s like night and day,” said Heinisch. “Some days they have 60 guys in here.”

The Bronx Zoo echoed that opinion. “We haven’t had any impact on our part of the river,” said John Calvelli, who’s in charge of public affairs. “You look at how organizations respond to these crises, and ConEd has done well.”

COLLECTION BOOMS HAVE BEEN STRETCHED ACROSS SLOW-MOVING SECTIONS OF THE RIVER TO NET OILY DEBRIS

COLLECTION BOOMS HAVE BEEN STRETCHED ACROSS SLOW-MOVING SECTIONS OF THE RIVER TO NET OILY DEBRIS

Throughout most of November, an outfit hired by Con Edison floated a tangle of absorption and collection booms on slow-moving sections of the river, many of which are on the grounds of the Botanical Garden. Absorption booms are tubes of soaking materials that draw oil from the water; workers called them “sausages.” Collection booms net oily debris like leaves and grass. A giant machine—like a shop-vac on wheels—near the riverbank sucked all the muck out of the water.

The cleaning crews wrapped up work before Thanksgiving, but will return this month with the DEC to look for residual oil, according to Con Edison.

“We will physically walk every foot of the river with the DEC,” said Neil Scow, who handles environmental issues for Con Edison. “We have the same level of concern for the environment as they do.”

So far, public awareness of the spill has been minimal, but other stakeholders with an interest in the river’s health are keeping a close watch. 

“I was deeply concerned to hear about the recent oil spill into the Bronx River,” said Congressman José E. Serrano via e-mail. “If this spill isn’t thoroughly cleared, we could see some of the environmental progress we have made wiped out.”

While the Bronx River Alliance is satisfied with Con Edison’s rapid response, it remains concerned about the utility company’s safety procedures.

“There are measures built around a transformer to catch oil in such an incident, and I don’t think that system worked,” said the Bronx River Alliance’s Linda Cox.

No one wants a return to the conditions found in the mid-1970s, the height of the Bronx River’s decay, when the waterway was polluted and littered with trash.

“We’re proud of the fact that we have a lot of eyes on the river,” Cox said.

Written by admin · Filed Under Health & Environment, Latest, News/Features 

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