The Piermont Fire Department responded Tuesday evening to an oil spill in a local creek, deploying containment booms to prevent the spread of contaminants and protect the surrounding environment.
According to the department, firefighters returned Wednesday afternoon to remove the booms and discovered that one end had become detached. Before crews could complete the removal, a vessel reportedly ran over the boom instead of waiting for it to be cleared from the waterway.
Fire officials stressed that hazardous materials incidents are taken very seriously, particularly in an environmentally sensitive area that includes one of the nation’s remaining salt marsh ecosystems. They noted that the containment boom performed its intended function and successfully helped mitigate the spill.
Officials warned that if the spill had been ongoing and required additional tidal cycles for containment and cleanup, interference with the boom could have created a more serious environmental issue and potentially caused greater damage to the ecosystem.
The department is also reminding residents and boaters not to remove or tamper with any mitigation equipment deployed during emergency operations. Fire officials explained that spill incidents are reported to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which often assigns representatives to oversee and monitor cleanup efforts.
“While these measures may occasionally cause minor inconveniences, they are essential to ensuring proper monitoring, containment, and remediation of hazardous materials incidents,” the department said, thanking the public for its cooperation.
