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 Koenig 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 an 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 that 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.”
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 an 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 that 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.”
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james_13021 wrote on Jul 17, 2008 9:06 AM:
3 Quarts of oil accidentally spilled into the water...the normal agitation of the lake water would have broken up such an insignificant amount of oil in no time.
Then we have several departments and scores of people showing up for 3 quarts of oil accidentally spilled into the lake, just to point at it and try and collect it.
Several thousand dollars later and alot time wasted and energy wasted for a couple quarts of oil!!! Doesn't someone oversee the spending of these people to see what they do!!! If I was in the town, I wouldn't be paying anyone who went down to the Lake to play in the water while on the payrole! I would also make them fill the vehicles back up with the gallons of gas they wasted, not to mention all the pollution going into the air from their vehicles.
Which caused more polution, 3 quarts of oil into the lake, or all the vehicles buring gallons of gas into the air??? "