There are no oil refineries in upstate New York, but the Niagara River still carries millions of gallons of petroleum to storage facilities each week.
Crews from the U.S. Coast Guard and fuel supplier NOCO Energy, which has locations along the Niagara River, practiced skimming oil from water Tuesday.
But don’t worry, it was only a test.
“Because we’re handling a lot of [petroleum] we think it’s prudent to go and practice what to do in the case of a spill,” says Scott Ernst, NOCO’s director of business development.
If oil one day spills into the Niagara, not only would it be an environmental problem for the Buffalo region, it’d be a public relations disaster for NOCO.
In demonstrating that company officials are covering their bases, Tuesday’s drill doubled as positive PR.
Lessons
Ernst says oil in swift-moving water acts just like “salad dressing.” In the event of a spill, “oil would float on the top and would begin to float down the river,” according to Ernst.
But there are many spill scenarios.
The Niagara River varies in its width, flow and depth. Depending on where the oil leaked, the water could pull oil downstream quickly. Using multiple boats to string booms ahead of the flowing fuel is the key, officials say.
“Once it’s contained, then it’s easy to bring in a vacuum truck with a skimmer on it and actually vacuum or suck the petroleum right off the top of the water,” Ernst says.
NOCO says it hopes to never find out if Tuesday’s practice pays off.
