An extensive project continues at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park.
The Coast Guard, state Department of Environmental Conservation and city of Buffalo have started work that will remove 145,000 gallons of oily water and petroleum discharges from the destroyer USS The Sullivans and submarine USS Croaker.
The DEC says before this, there were no environmental concerns. This project was started solely as a proactive effort.
“The water and petroleum mix is being pumped out of the compartments and into a tank. The petroleum product, which floats on top of the water, is being removed and sent off-site for recycling,” said Chad Staniszewski, acting regional director of the state DEC, Region 9. “The water, which could potentially have residual contamination, is being sent through granular activated carbon vessels that absorb the organic contamination in that water. The water is then being dumped into another tank that will be sampled.”
USS The Sullivans after it partially sank in 2022. (Spectrum News 1)
After it is sampled, all the water will be dumped off-site at the Buffalo Sewer Authority.
The Sullivans and the Croaker were set to be drydocked for repairs last October, but due to administrative delays between the city of Buffalo and the marine management firm, that date has been pushed back to October this year.
The Sullivans has already undergone multiple repairs to its hull to keep it afloat after it partially sank in 2022.