Sandy Hook Oil Slick Has Shrunk By More Than Half

photo by Noel Westerland Sr. 11/29/2014

The oil slick in Sandy Hook Bay that was reported to be two miles long by 900 feet wide on Thursday afternoon was observed to be one mile long by 150 wide at 10AM this morning, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer Frank Iannazzo-Simmons during a phone interview with MMM.

Iannazzo-Simmons said a unified command consisting of personnel from the Coast Guard, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, NOAA and the National Park Service were still working to identify the both the source and product of the sheen. The color of the sheen changed from a rainbow to a “silverish” metallic color. Last evening it was reported that authorities believed the product to be diesel fuel. Today, they are taking samples to determine what it is.

20 feet of boom was installed at Horseshoe Cove yesterday as a precaution to protect the environmentally sensitive area. Today 70 feet of “hard boom” was installed to shore up the precautionary protection. Horseshoe Cove was deemed to be the only environmentally sensitive area that could be impacted by the sheen.

The sheen remains located at the northern end of Sandy Hook on the bay side.