DEC: No 'visible impact' in Mill River from Rockville Centre tanker explosion

Drone footage from the scene of a tanker truck explosion in Rockville Centre showed no "visible impact" of gasoline in nearby Mill River or downstream of the containment area, state environmental officials said Monday.

Most of the 9,200 gallons of gasoline in the tanker burned in the massive Feb. 16 fire, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation. The agency's Spill Response Unit laid down absorbent "boom and sweep material" before significant amounts of remaining fuel entered Mill River, the DEC said. The river is just south of where the burning tanker came to a stop.

"[Contractors] reported no visible floating product in the boomed area," the department said in a statement Monday. "Boom and sweep will continue to be replaced as needed going forward. Planning is also ongoing for excavation work along the northern shoreline of the Mill River. DEC will oversee the excavation and restoration in this area going forward."

The drone footage "shows no visible impacts downstream of the containment area," the department said. "DEC continues to oversee the cleanup to ensure public health and the environment are protected."

The cause of the crash, in which the tanker truck flipped and exploded about 1:10 a.m. Wednesday on Sunrise Highway at the North Central Avenue intersection, remains under investigation, a Nassau police spokesman said. The explosion destroyed a former La-Z-Boy store but caused no injuries, police said.

Surveillance video from a nearby gas station shows the tanker pass two vehicles as it approaches North Centre Avenue then overturn. It skids through the intersection, then ignites in a white flash. Seconds later, a person stumbles from behind the truck cab, then out of the video frame.

Millions of gallons of raw wastewater flowed into Mill River after Superstorm Sandy. It runs underneath Sunrise Highway and Long Island Rail Road tracks, where it is walled-in by bulkheads.

Enrico Nardone, executive director of Seatuck Environmental Association, an Islip-based conservation group that has worked to restore the river, expressed concern that the gasoline from the tanker could affect the river's plant and fish life. The spill, he said last week, came near the start of migration season for river herring, a once-abundant species his group is trying to restore in Long Island's waterways.

Cleanup workers found dead animals, including three waterfowl, three fish, and several red-eared slider turtles in an area of the river near Merrick Road, the DEC said. There was no evidence wildlife outside that area were affected by the fire and spill, officials said.

Gasoline that reached the drainage system and the northern section of the river is being removed with a vacuum truck, the DEC said. The agency concedes it's difficult to estimate the amount of gasoline released because of the nature of the explosion.

Workers flushed the drainage system Wednesday to remove remaining fuel. Contaminated soil along the northern edge of the shore will be excavated and replaced with clean soil and vegetation, the DEC said.

The State Department of Transportation said it completed installation of a temporary traffic signal at North Centre Avenue on Friday and is continuing to evaluate the site for future repairs.

Initial inspections last week of the pavement and the drainage system found minimal damage and the department said the road was safe for travel.

Motorists are urged to use caution when driving in the area and to be prepared for lane closures.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.