A pair of reported spills at Central Hudson Gas & Electric’s district headquarters in Lake Katrine has concerned some residents, but the utility company is pushing back.
The spill incidents database of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) listed a hydraulic oil spill occurring at 2001 Route 9W in Lake Katrine on Thursday, January 11. It cited human error coming from a commercial vehicle. A second spill in early March was recorded by the DEC on March 24 at a Central Hudson facility at 2229-2271 Route 9W, roughly a half-mile north of the first spill. Though the cause was listed as unknown, this spill is recorded as from an unknown petroleum.
Some local residents are worried about contamination of the Esopus Creek west of both properties.
In a Friday, April 5 post on neighborhood-based social networking site Nextdoor, Sally Ward described the situation as a spill that has gotten out of hand since January. “In the last 24 hours, we’ve discovered a large contaminant spill in a federal wetland that empties under the CSX tracks and feeds into the Esopus Creek,” Ward wrote. “Neighbors have documented this has been happening since January 12th. The chemical smell is horrible, and they can taste the residue in their throats as they breathe.”
Ward said the spill had spread into a federal wetland, and efforts to contain the contamination had proven unsuccessful.
“According to neighbors, whoever is trying to contain the spill with the white ‘booms’ has changed them out at least twice since January, but the spill is still active and forming a cesspool of filth as it runs into the Esopus,” Ward wrote. Booms are man-made containment barriers designed to slow and contain the spread of oil and other substances.
At a meeting of the Ulster town board on April 10, local resident Karen Sanders said the potential for a robust hurricane season has neighbors worried that the situation is going to worsen in the coming months.
“We’re faced with an oil spill by Central Hudson into that same wetland … as it empties into the Esopus Creek with a smell that burns our throats without any clarity as to who is responsible for addressing these dangerous issues so they don’t happen again,” Sanders said.
Joe Jenkins, Central Hudson’s director of media relations, addressed both spills, beginning with the more recent, in an email.
“Central Hudson responded to the DEC’s report of a spill on 3/24 and immediately conducted an investigation of our facilities which included facility parking lots, catch basins, and stormwater culverts,” Jenkins reported. “There was no visual evidence of recent or ongoing spills; no petroleum odors were present; and no petroleum sheen was present. We reported this to the DEC Division of Environmental Remediation, who subsequently closed the spill report based upon these findings. To reiterate, neither we, nor the DEC found evidence of a spill in March.”
A source at the DEC confirmed Central Hudson’s account of the March incident.
“On March 28, 2024, DEC Spill Response was notified of a potential fuel spill behind Central Hudson’s district headquarters in Lake Katrine,” said the source in an email. “DEC staff observed a slight sheen on the lake surface; it was deemed unrecoverable and likely due to road runoff. Odors were not present during DEC’s inspection. Absorbent booms from the prior spill remained deployed at the mouth of the culvert to Lake Katrine, and the spill was subsequently closed.”
Jenkins also addressed the January 11 spill at Central Hudson’s district headquarters.
“Repairs to a piece of heavy equipment at our Kingston district headquarters, adjacent to the new Power Control Center and Training Academy, resulted in a small accidental petroleum release that was immediately reported,” Jenkins wrote. “A cleanup crew addressed the spill that same day, and proactively deployed absorbent booms as a precaution. No residual or other onsite issues have been identified since then.”
The DEC also confirmed the utility company’s account of the January spill.
“The spill was caused by heavy equipment operating in the facility’s parking lot, totaling approximately one to three gallons of petroleum,” wrote the DEC contact. “Under DEC oversight, an environmental contractor retained by Central Hudson completed cleanup activities at the site and deployed absorbent booms in Lake Katrine as a precautionary measure .… No additional issues have been identified resulting from the spills.”
Jenkins added that, contrary to rumors circulated by some neighbors, the DEC has not fined Central Hudson for spills at its district headquarters. All violations and spill reports had been closed by the DEC with no further action required. The company has not been assessed any financial penalty by the DEC in conjunction with this project, Jenkins wrote.
Town of Ulster deputy town supervisor Clayton Van Kleeck responded to an inquiry. He said the town had not been notified of the latest spill report.
“We have recently discovered that there was a small oil spill earlier this year on the Central Hudson property,” said Van Kleeck. “Central Hudson followed proper procedures in reporting this to the NYSDEC. Protocol required that they put precautionary ‘floating filters’ in the water drain area. They have had to change them on a schedule to assure there has been no contamination. We as the town have no authority or responsibility in a spill situation of this nature. We wish we had been informed, but it was not required.”
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