A data center in N.J. leaked 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel. How much is left?
An Equinix data center in Secaucus leaked about 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel into a drainage channel leading toward the Hackensack River. New Jersey officials say most of the fuel was recovered and that nearby wetlands and the river were not affected, but residents and an ecologist question whether all residual fuel can be removed.
A storage tank at an Equinix data center in Secaucus, New Jersey, leaked roughly 5,000 gallons of diesel on Sept. 11. The fuel entered a drainage channel connected to the Hackensack River, prompting cleanup efforts by an Equinix contractor and concern from nearby residents, including John, a Secaucus resident who reported smelling diesel and seeing a containment boom and sheen on the water.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said the fuel remained in the drainage channel and that the Hackensack River and surrounding wetlands were not impacted. Equinix did not provide a specific estimate of how much fuel remained, saying cleanup of oil and debris was continuing and that it had hired a licensed site remediation professional to assess potential impacts. Ecologist Joanna Burger of Rutgers University said it would be surprising if some oil had not reached the river, particularly because the area is connected to a tidal system, and warned that additional data center development could produce cumulative environmental effects.