Jul 13, 2008 7:39 am US/Eastern
Nyack Residents Concerned About Oil Leak
NYACK, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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An oil leak discovered in Nyack has residents on edge.
CBS
Residents in part of Rockland County are worried about what lies beneath the ground their homes are built and their children play.
An oil leak mysteriously started seeping up from the ground recently in Nyack Plaza, a low income housing complex.
"What they buried here is coming up to bite them," said Salahudin Rahim.
A few weeks ago residents began to notice black sticky stuff seeping from the ground, along with a smell. Crews were called in to dig, and just below the surface they found a pool of oil. They dug a little deeper and found an entire tank.
"We didn't expect to find an oil tank filled to the top," Rahim said.
The tank, which is now being removed, is covered by dirt and a tarp. For the past 28 years it has been covered by a neighborhood - eventually a school playground and basketball court.
Parents fear for their children's health.
"[There are] very few children here that have not had asthma," said Rahim. "Almost every kid here has asthma growing up."
It's not just an oil tank that was covered decades ago, but an entire school that was torn down, but the basement and all of its contents that were never cleared away that is responsible for the oil leak.
"They just imploded the building, and there you go let's get some low income housing for these people," said Nyack resident Kareem Taylor.
Residents say there was a sinkhole in the area several years ago. The ground opened up and what they saw amazed them.
"We could see mops and brooms," said Rahim. "There was desks, radiators from the old school, books, everything…" added Taylor.
So how did this happen, and has the oil been a health a hazard for the past 28 years? County and city officials did not return calls from CBS 2 HD.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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