LI Sound Possible Source of Pond Pollution

A state environmental official says that the oily slick that has polluted the Binney Park Pond since last week may be coming from two sources - a multi-vehicle crash on nearby I-95 - and from Long Island Sound.

A series of booms have been installed at strategic points of the waterways feeding into the scenic Old Greenwich Binney Park, which is bound by Arch Street, Sound Beach Avenue and Wesskum Wood Road. One of the booms was placed on Riverside Avenue where there is an inlet to Long Island Sound, according to Debra Catuccio, a state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection emergency response coordinator, who is overseeing the cleanup of Binney Park.

The booms are made of material that soaks up the oil as the water passes beneath it, Cattucio said.

"There was a spill of fluids from one of the tractor trailers involved in the accident (on I-95) ... we're estimating maybe 30 gallons got into the catch basins because of the heavy rains," Catuccio said of the Oct. 14 multi-vehicle crash between southbound Exits 6 and 5. "What I found was some fluid coming from that and oil coming in from Long Island Sound with the tidal changes."

With the incoming tide Monday afternoon, the oily sheen on the pond and stream feeding it could be seen moving inland.

Catuccio said she's asked the US Coast Guard to investigate possible oil sources on the Sound "but they haven't had any reports of vessels sinking or of spills."

Hours after the Oct. 14 crash, the odor of petroleum-based fluids could be smelled throughout the park and oil sheens atop the water were visible.

Catuccio said that recent rains and tidal changes, along with the oil containment booms have removed much of that oily residue. "With the heavy rains forecast for Wednesday, it should pretty well dissipate. We're making good progress," Catuccio said of the cleanup.

She also said, "There has been no negative impact on wildlife." The park waterways are home to many species including turtles, ducks and geese.

Catuccio expects the booms will remain in place through week's end. She also said that "it takes only a small amount of (oil and diesel) for people to smell it."