Southampton Mystery Spill; Southampton, Long Island, New York

Southampton, Long Island, New York | 1992-Mar-10

Initial Notification: On March 8, 1992, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Captain of the Port (COTP) Long Island Sound received a report of oiled birds washing ashore on Long Island; however, no spill had been reported. The oiled birds were treated at a local animal hospital by a veterinary assistant who had experience in cleaning oiled wildlife. The weather at the time of the incident was fair with light on-shore winds. On March 10, the USCG On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) reported tar patties and tarballs ranging from dime to half-dollar size at the high-tide line on Southampton Beach in a band approximately one-foot wide by three miles long. A USCG overflight using side-looking airborne radar (SLAR) reported what appeared to be oil 85 miles southeast of Montauk, Long Island. Visual confirmation of this sighting was impossible because of storm warnings. Weather offshore was expected to be 40- to 50-knot winds with 15- to 25-foot seas. After the storm on March 11, a USCG SLAR flight was flown but no oil was sighted. The Pollution Fund was opened and the OSC hired Tri-State Bird Rescue to coordinate wildlife rescue. A storm on March 11 dispersed the oil on the beach, making cleanup unnecessary. The response lasted less than ten days with most of the time devoted to bird rescue operations. Of the 47 birds treated, 25 lived. USCG district 1. Keyword: remote sensing, endangered species.