A sheen of oil has again appeared on the Mill River in East Rockaway, its second incident in four months, after PSEG Long Island detected a pressure drop in an underwater transmission cable on Nov. 25, revealing a new leak of dielectric fluid that is now seeping through an outflow pipe on Atlantic Avenue as state environmental crews work to vacuum and sweep the mineral oil from the water’s surface.
The DEC reported that no wildlife has been impacted yet.
“PSEG Long Island is working in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to remediate the nonhazardous fluid, which is similar to mineral oil. PSEG Long Island has also been in close contact with town and village officials to keep them apprised of the work being performed," a statement from PSEG read.
According to Elizabeth Flagler, Head of External and Internal Communications for PSEG Long Island, reported that the cable was immediately de-energized after the leak was discovered, and no customers lost power during the shutdown.
The cause remains under investigation, but preliminary findings suggest third-party damage to the cable’s external coating, which may have weakened the pipe’s integrity over time.
The leaked fluid, a light mineral oil used to insulate high-voltage lines, is not considered dangerous to humans. However, experts warn it can harm fish, birds and other wildlife by coating surfaces and interfering with oxygen exchange.
“This type of oil can smother small creatures and interfere with gas exchange in gills or other membranes,” J. Bret Bennington, professor and chair of the Department of Geology, Environment, and Sustainability at Hofstra University said. “It floats on water and can be skimmed off, but it is still an irritant.”
In response, DEC crews have deployed absorbent booms and containment barriers to prevent the oil from spreading further into the canal.
A drum skimmer is actively removing oil from the water surface, and the collected fluid is being transported offsite for proper disposal.
More than 30 workers are involved in participating in the cleanup effort, and five vacuum trucks are currently in operation at the site. Flagler stated that crews will remain on-site around the clock until the area is fully remediated.
Miriam Rafailovich, a professor of materials science at Stony Brook University, said that incidents like this highlight deeper systemic issues in how power is transmitted underwater.
“These cables are all over the ocean floor and many are uncharted,” she said, noting that large vessels can easily cut them, especially in shallow waters. “When they get damaged, nobody knows who they belong to or who to call.”
Rafailovich has been involved in past research on oil spills and their environmental impacts. During the BP oil spill, she and colleagues studied how even trace amounts of oil affected marine organisms that sequester carbon dioxide.
“These tiny organisms, coccolithophores, form protective colonies and are key to carbon capture in the ocean,” she said. “Oil damages their organic material and compromises their ability to function.”
She added that mineral oils used in cable insulation are toxic to fish, crustaceans, and plant life, and emphasized the need for alternatives to traditional underwater transmission systems.
“This isn’t just an engineering problem,” Rafailovich said. “It’s a problem that intersects biology, toxicology, and energy policy. We need more interdisciplinary solutions.”
Devinder Mahajan, another Stony Brook professor who researched oil spill mitigation alongside Rafailovich, said the BP oil spill taught engineers two key lessons: how to prevent oil spills, and how to mitigate them.
“Techology has come a long way in the last 40 years,” Mahajan said.
Researchers at Stony Brook and elsewhere are exploring self-healing oils, nanocomposite materials, and alternative power transmission methods, such as hydrogen fuel and battery storage, to mitigate future environmental risks.
PSEG Long Island said repairs to the cable have been completed and cleanup operations will continue until the site is fully restored. The utility is also working with the U.S. Coast Guard, local municipalities and wildlife rescue groups to manage the situation.
A similar incident had occurred just months earlier, when a leak from a PSEG Long Island underground transmission cable released hundreds of gallons of dielectric fluid into the Mill River on July 14 at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Access Road, turning the blue water into an oily, rainbow-streaked scene.
East Rockaway resident Lorraine Guarnieri Keegan, 73, has lived by the water her entire life, in a canal-front home on West Boulevard just off Reynolds Channel.
She knows coastal living comes with a cost, like in 2012, when Hurricane Sandy hit, convincing her family to raise their home on stilts.
“When you're born on the water, it’s in your blood,” Keegan said. “I feel like a mermaid almost.”
To Keegan, disasters like floods are an inevitable part of life near the coast. But this, she said, was an unexpected burden.
“We're hurting our waters, which we’re supposed to protect,” Keegan said. “We have to protect Mother Nature. That's it.”
Residents who encounter wildlife affected by the spill are advised to contact local rehabilitation centers, including the Wildlife Center of Long Island or Sweetbriar Nature Center.
