By Daniel Katzive
Con Edison has experienced an oil leak into the Hudson River from the utility’s West 59th Street steam plant.
A reader reached out to West Side Rag to report signs of cleanup activity at Pier 98, which is connected to the steam plant, on Wednesday. A containment boom had been deployed and workers were removing material from the water. The tipster also said they saw signs of a sheen on the water.
In response to a query from WSR, Con Ed provided the following statement:
“On April 7, Con Edison discovered the presence of oil in the Hudson River within the permanent containment boom surrounding Pier 98. We immediately installed an additional containment boom, as well as an absorbent boom. The oil likely originated from the Con Edison Steam Generating Plant on 59th Street, as the plant experienced an internal leak on April 6 that was initially contained within the plant. The U.S. Coast Guard, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation have been notified and continue to oversee the cleanup operations.”
As WSR wrote about back in 2022, the 59th Street plant produces steam for utility customers in midtown and on the Upper West Side. Pier 98 serves as a delivery dock for the backup fuel oil the utility sometimes relies on in winter when natural gas is in short supply. It has an outflow for water released by the plant. The pier also houses an unrelated cooling mechanism for a nearby electrical substation. Con Ed provided a detailed presentation to the Hudson River Park Advisory Council on operations at the pier back in September 2022 which can be viewed on YouTube.
WSR has reached out to the Coast Guard and state DEC and will update this article as further information is available.
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