The incident was first reported Tuesday…
By Chris Fuchs
The New York City Transit Authority has removed nearly 4,000 gallons of oil from the roadbed of the No. 7 subway line after discovering a river of fuel about a half mile east of Grand Central Station two weeks ago.
The incident was first reported Tuesday by the cable news station NY 1, which showed pictures of a sludge-like substance streaming down the concrete roadbed of the No. 7 line that begins in Manhattan and terminates in Flushing.
A spokesman for the Transit Authority, Bob Slovak, identified the substance as No. 6 heating oil, saying it must have originated from an external source because the Transit Authority does not use that type of oil.
Tom Kunkel, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Conservation, the state agency overseeing the cleanup, said the department was first notified about an oil spill on Dec. 20. Initially, the department thought the spill was an isolated incident, until it resurfaced on Jan. 30.
But the Department of Environmental Conservation had not determined by Tuesday the source of the oil, Kunkel said. “We’re considering that it is either a tank or a possible pipeline,” he said. “We’ve been investigating a couple of places in that area that have that quantity of oil.”
So far, two state contractors hired by the department have removed nearly 4,000 gallons of the oil, bottling it in large drums and then shuttling it out of the tunnel in work trains, mostly during the late night, Kunkel said.
Test results performed on the oil have concluded that it does not appear to be contaminated, he said. In addition, he said, the Transit Authority has taken air samples in the tunnel.
“It seems to be safe,” Kunkel said. “No. 6 oil is basically for heating. It’s not a flammable like a gasoline, so I don’t think that is a concern. The biggest concern is to find the source. When you start pumping 1,500 gallons each time to clean up the problem, it has to be a pretty big source.”
Reach reporter Chris Fuchs by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 156.
