About 5,000 gallons of diesel spilled from an Equinix data centre into Anderson Creek in Secaucus. (Photo: Bill Sheehan/Hackensack Riverkeeper)
Cleanup crews are working in New Jersey’s Meadowlands after roughly 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel leaked from a storage tank at a data centre in Secaucus and entered Anderson Creek. He pointed to a 1994 incident on the Hackensack River, when a barge spill released 310,000 gallons of caustic soda into the waterway. The incident comes at a sensitive time for the Hackensack River, which was placed on the federal Superfund list in 2022 and is now the focus of a major cleanup effort. Nearly 100 municipalities across the state have enacted bans on new data centre development. Gonnelli said Equinix’s Secaucus facility has been operating for 25 years without previous problems.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said the spill originated at the Equinix Data Center. Authorities said the fuel was contained in the creek before it could reach the Hackensack River. Larry Hajna, a spokesperson for the New Jersey DEP, said the section of Anderson Creek where the spill occurred is small and narrow, making it possible to contain the fuel before it reached the Hackensack River. “The tributaries are the capillary system of the whole ecosystem,” Sheehan said. Equinix has hired Clean Harbors to handle the cleanup and remediation, the company said. Crews are expected to continue working at the site for several days, according to Hajna. Sheehan said he witnessed vacuum trucks removing a mixture of fuel and water from the creek. Equinix said it plans to conduct a full investigation into the incident and is committed to resolving the situation as quickly as possible. Hajna said he did not have information about any potential penalties. Sheehan said the resulting natural resource damages claim helped fund a major restoration project at Lincoln Park in Jersey City. “The money came from the polluter across the river that spilled their barge,” Sheehan said. “I want to go after them as best we can,” Gonnelli said. “It’s a slap in the face to all the work that’s been going on,” Sheehan said. Asked whether he would support a ban on new data centres in Secaucus, he said the issue should instead be addressed at the state level. Sheehan said data centres have existed in the Meadowlands for decades without major problems but added that the industry’s recent expansion has increased his concerns. “The benefit of having high-speed internet is a good thing,” Sheehan said. Ben Dziobek, executive director of Climate Revolution Action Network, said the issue extends beyond individual municipalities. “Leaving this to individual towns doesn’t make any sense,” Dziobek said in a statement.
Anderson Creek is a tributary of the river, which flows through the Meadowlands and eventually empties into Newark Bay. However, Bill Sheehan, the Hackensack Riverkeeper, raised concerns about the potential environmental impact. “All the water that runs off of our land goes into the creeks first, and then runs through the creeks out into the river. The material was being collected for treatment and disposal away from the site. The DEP has not indicated whether Equinix could face fines or other enforcement action. Sheehan has called on state authorities to pursue a natural resource damages claim against Equinix. Such a claim could result in the company funding environmental restoration to compensate for damage caused by the spill. “This time it was a data center close to the river that spilled its oil. I think we should get a damage fund for that. Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli also expressed anger over the incident and backed the push for a natural resource damages claim. The spill has also intensified discussion surrounding the rapid growth of data centres in New Jersey. “But at the same time, we don’t want to pay for it by destroying our natural resources. Environmental activists in New Jersey have been urging Gov. Mikie Sherrill to impose a moratorium on new data centre development. “Data centers create problems that don’t stop at municipal boundaries, whether it’s pollution or straining the grid and driving up everyone’s electric bills. Sherrill’s office declined to comment on the issue and referred Gothamist to the New Jersey DEP. Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
The company said the leak was discovered on Friday evening, according to a report by Gothamist. Sheehan was conducting a boat tour on Saturday afternoon when he observed contractors installing a boom across the creek.