NEW YORK — Coast Guard Sector New York responded to reports of oil along the shoreline at Coney Island Creek in the Gravesend Bay area of Brooklyn, Thursday.
The Coast Guard opened the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund and contracted Miller Environmental Group, an oil spill removal organization, to conduct shoreline assessments and cleanup operations in a 75-to-100-foot area of rocks and soil with the presence of oil.
Coast Guard and Miller Environmental Group response crews have placed sorbent boom in the area for the night to mitigate further impact to the environment.
Oil samples are being collected from the site for testing, and crews are examining additional shoreline areas for oil pollution. Coast Guard pollution response personnel have not located any sheen on the water near the impacted area.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection, New York City Office of Emergency Management, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation have been notified of the incident.
Coast Guard Sector New York and multiple federal, state and local agencies continue a separate response to reports of tar balls on the beach from Sea Bright, New Jersey, south to Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Presently, there is no determination that the two incidents are related.
Individuals and mariners are advised to avoid contact with the oil in the affected area. Anyone who notices oil on the shoreline or in the water should contact the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.