TURNERS FALLS — An oil sheen that was reported on the Connecticut River has raised concerns from environmental advocacy organizations, though FirstLight Hydro Generating Co. reported that no sheen was visible upon inspection on Monday.

According to Communications Manager Claire Belanger, the oil sheen, observed below the Turners Falls dam, was reported to FirstLight by the state Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) on March 9. This sheen was thought to have been caused by a roughly 1-gallon oil leak from two pistons, according to “preliminary estimates” cited by spokesperson Brittany Murphy. Since then, FirstLight has installed preventative materials to mitigate ongoing leakage until environmental conditions allow for a more permanent resolution, Murphy explained.

This month’s oil leak occurred slightly more than a year after a hydraulic leak at the dam released an estimated 300 gallons of oil into the Connecticut River. The issue has sparked anger from local environmentalists, such as those at the Connecticut River Conservancy, who criticized how history has repeated itself.

“If this sounds like a story you’ve heard before, you’re not imagining it,” Connecticut River Conservancy River Steward Kelsey Wentling wrote in a statement. “Now, a year later, we’re seeing a similar story emerge. … We are extremely disappointed that FirstLight has allowed this same story to play itself out two years in a row.”

Wentling said the environmental advocacy nonprofit was “assured” by FirstLight and MassDEP “that the absorbent booms and materials would be changed out regularly and that the leak had been sufficiently contained.”

“Per protocol, FirstLight immediately deployed our expert team to inspect the area, and establish and implement solutions to address the issue in coordination with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection,” Murphy wrote in a statement. “The team onsite identified two hydraulic pistons supporting the bascule gates that had saturated absorbent booms. … The absorbent booms were replaced to control the issue until the source of the leakage can be identified and permanently resolved.”

“At our most recent inspection, the release appeared contained, and no migration of oil was observed outside of the immediate containment area,” Catherine Skiba, deputy regional director at the Bureau of Administrative Service for MassDEP’s Western Regional Office, wrote in a statement. “FirstLight has engaged a licensed site professional to implement the required response actions necessary to contain and repair the leak.”

Belanger explained that “mitigation practices” included tightening up packing on the affected pistons, installing new absorbent booms around each piston, checking booms three times per week to see if they need replacement and positioning an oil boom in the river below the dam last Friday. Wentling said, however, that on Friday, the Connecticut River Conservancy “noticed a visible sheen on the water below the dam.”

“Adding insult to injury, some of the absorbent materials do not seem to be secured to the pistons or dam, and we found one dislodged and floating downstream of the dam,” Wentling wrote, referencing the oil boom that FirstLight had positioned in the river that day. “Needless to say, if the materials absorb oil and then travel downstream, this only serves to add yet another pollutant to the river.”

The affected pistons — Piston 3 on the second bascule gate and Piston 5 on the third bascule gate — are separate from the pistons involved in last year’s leak, which were Pistons 7 and 8 below the fourth bascule gate. The cause of the leak is currently unknown, Belanger said.

“We can’t be sure of the root cause until we are able to closely inspect the pistons, which will not be possible until the snow and ice ease up, and the conditions allow our team to safely examine the issue,” Belanger wrote. “While we are anxious to fully resolve this issue, we must be sure the snow and ice conditions, as well as high river flows as are common in the springtime, render it safe for our team to inspect the pistons, identify the root cause and implement long-term solutions.”

Skiba noted that a “Notice of Responsibility has been issued to FirstLight,” but that “MassDEP cannot comment on potential or pending enforcement actions.” Once additional information becomes available, she said, it will be posted on MassDEP’s data portal under release tracking number (RTN) 1-0021749 at bit.ly/3JCstaU.

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com.

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