(Photo: Provided photo)
Sean Lahman, @seanlahman
11:38 a.m. EDT June 27, 2016
A discoloration of the water near the FitzPatrick nuclear plant was identified as an oil spill, according to a spokesperson for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The Fitzpatrick plant is in Scriba, New York, approximately 10 miles northeast of Oswego.
Entergy Corporation, which operates the plant, found the source of the oil on the roof of a turbine building, said Neil Sheehan, a public affairs officer for the NRC. The oil was coming from the vent for the hydrogen seal system.
"It appears about 20 to 30 gallons that leaked were then drained through the plant’s discharge drain system to the lake," said NRC public affairs officer Neil Sheehan. "The company has placed oil-absorbent pads on the turbine building roof and has also stopped all circulating water pumps to eliminate any further discharges."
The oil has not adversely impacted plant operations, he said.
Coast Guard officials established a temporary safe zone Sunday in the waters of Lake Ontario near the plant after observing a sheen, or discoloration of the surface of the water.
The sheen was discovered Sunday by a Coast Guard Auxiliary air crew.
A boat crew from Coast Guard Station Oswego launched to take samples of the sheen and enforce a safety zone extending two miles to the north and two miles to the east and west.
Representatives from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation were also on scene.