‘Catastrophic failure’: Oil spill in NYC East River requires massive cleanup

‘The US Coast Guard has declared part of New York City’s East River a “safety zone” after an unknown amount of oil spewed from a Con Edison substation into the notoriously polluted waterway. A massive cleanup is currently underway.
A statement from Con Edison says a transformer, containing roughly 37,000 gallons of oil, malfunctioned Sunday, releasing “much of the oil” into the station property and the river.
Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Allyson Conroy told the Gothamist that a “catastrophic failure” caused a transformer to leak dielectric fluid, a mineral oil used for cooling electronic equipment.’
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