Sleepy Hollow: Fuel oil spills into Hudson River Matt Spillane, mspillane@lohud.com 5:44 p.m. EDT September 13, 2016
An undetermined amount of heating oil was accidentally spilled into the Hudson River from the Kendal on Hudson assisting living center in Sleepy Hollow. Numerous area fire departments responded to the spill. Video by Seth Harrison/The Journal News
(Photo: Seth Harrison/The Journal News)
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SLEEPY HOLLOW, NY - A vendor apparently overfilled a heating oil tank at a riverside senior facility on Tuesday, with some of the fuel reaching the Hudson River.
The Sleepy Hollow Volunteer Fire Department, Westchester County police and a host of other agencies scrambled to the riverbank early Tuesday afternoon after the spill was reported, deploying booms to contain its spread.
Emergency personnel carry booms to the Hudson River on Tuesday after heating oil was accidentally spilled into the river from the Kendal on Hudson assisting living center in Sleepy Hollow. (Photo: Seth Harrison/The Journal News)
Sleepy Hollow Village Administator Anthony Giaccio said preliminary estimates were that between 500 and 700 gallons of heating oil had been spilled at the Kendal on Hudson facility, with "much of the oil" flowing into a storm drain that empties into the river.
He said the spill had been contained, adding, "It's going to be a large cleanup, though."
Patricia Doyle, chief executive officer of Kendal on Hudson, said the fuel delivery was made Tuesday morning to the tank, located in a garage in one of the complex's buildings.
She said she did not know who was the first to spot the issue.
"All of the appropriate authorities are here and we are, of course, cooperating fully with them," she said.
She said an environmental remediation company was also on its way to the scene.
"Our only interest is in getting this thing cleaned up immediately," she said.
Doyle said the incident did not affect activities inside the facility.
Emergency personnel carry booms to the Hudson River after heating oil was accidentally spilled Tuesday into the river from the Kendal on Hudson assisting living center in Sleepy Hollow. (Photo: Seth Harrison/The Journal News)
Giaccio said the Fire Department received a call about 12:45 p.m. of a "smell of oil in the area."
"We think the person filling the tank (from the outside) was unaware (the tank) was overflowing," he said.
He said the tank was in a basement and the fuel flowed from there into the storm drain in the driveway.
The State Department of Environmental Conservation sent staff to the scene, said agency spokeswoman Wendy Rosenbach.
The emergency response had resulted in a 30 mph speed restriction on train travel through the area, said Nancy Gamerman, a spokeswoman for Metro-North Railroad.
John Lipscomb, patrol boat captain for Riverkeeper, said in a statement, "We were glad to see a fast response to this accident. The only question is whether a heating oil tank located near a drain that goes to a water body like the Hudson is required to have any kind of containment tank" that would catch any spills.
Whether or not such a tank is required, he said, "we hope that Kendal would consider one, so that there's no chance that an error like this would happen again."