On January 6th, a barge owned by Bouchard Transportation dropped anchor in a restricted area just beyond the Glen Cove breakwater and damaged a NY Power Authority cable, releasing dielectric fluid into our local waters – up to 50 gallons per hour during the first 48 hours after the accident. Cleanup has continued through the winter with the cleanup operation staged at Tappen Beach in Glenwood Landing. Sadly, this event has received virtually no media coverage and there has been no communication to local residents from government officials.
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The following is an excerpt of an article that appeared in NorthWordNews.com (author Tom Madden) on February 19 and is reprinted here with permission. Please visit the northwordnews.com website to read the story in its entirety.
“February 19, 2014 — The New York Power Authority cable damaged by a tugboat anchor on January 6 was leaking 50 gallons of dielectric fluid per hour into the water at the mouth of Hempstead Harbor during the first 48 hours following the mishap, NYPA officials said yesterday in a conference call with local government officials.
The amount is significantly greater than the five gallons per hour that was reported in a January 10 joint press release issued by NYPA, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Coast Guard.
According to NYPA, the dielectric fluid, which is used as an insulator for high voltage transmission lines, is non-toxic and not a danger to wildlife or to the environment.
Paul DeMichele, a NYPA media relations specialist, said that power authority officials had become aware of the leak almost immediately when the pressure of the fluid running through the line dropped tripping an alarm that shut down the line. Officials were able to identify the area of the breach after a Coast Guard Helicopter observed a “visible sheen on the water’s surface.
A skimmer vessel was dispatched to the area and hard and soft booms deployed to contain and collect the fluid. By the end of January, divers were able to determine the precise location of the damage to the line, 13 feet below the sea floor, in an area of the harbor that is about 30 feet deep. The cable has been clamped and the leak virtually stopped, with approximately 1 gallon per day oozing out.
Now that the breached line has been uncovered, NYPA officials said that the next step is to raise it to the surface where it will be placed onto a barge. 200 ft of the damaged cable will then be removed, and replaced with a new section.
The work is expected to continue for another few months, and NYPA officials said that their goal is to have it completed before large numbers of pleasure craft are out in the water as the summer season approaches.”
Workers at Tappen Beach from Miller Environmental Group, an environmental response, remediation and restoration services company have not been authorized to comment on the operation or their progress. HHC members wishing to learn more may want to contact their local officials.
