OWASCO -- Local fire and emergency management officials responded Wednesday to their third oil spill in recent days on Owasco Lake.

The spill occurred at 12:14 p.m. when Jane Herman's 20 foot pontoon boat began leaking an oil and gas mixture from a broken pipe near Koenigs Point as it headed onto the lake. Herman and her three passengers noticed the leak when a gauge alerted them that the boat was low on oil. About three quarts went into the water.

Don Dennis, a member of the family that owns TRY Inc. Marina on the Owasco River, said he was alerted to the spill by a customer.

"They came to me and said there was and oil spill, and when I got to the dock I saw the rainbow colors in the water from the oil and immediately dropped booms into the water," Dennis said.

The booms encompassed the whole width of the river and six small docks, preventing boats from entering or exiting the lake for three hours.

Several of the authorities who responded to Tuesday's spill had also reported to a motorboat that sank Monday afternoon, leaking oil and gas into the water near Cascade, and a New York State Department of Transportation lawn mower that last week leaked hydraulic fluid into the lake in Fleming.

Anthony Decaro, said the three spills would be monitored for any additional oil which may have been missed. Officials will be checking the latest spill for any additional oil that may have made it outside the quarantined area.

"It's never good to have oil spills into the water," Decaro said. "Fortunately all of these spills have been small amounts in a localized area, so they can be dealt with in a localized manner."