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Thousands of gallons of diesel spill into Secaucus creek from data center. For years, environmental activists and local officials have worked to clean up the Hackensack River after centuries of contamination from industrial and sewage discharges. However, they may now have more contamination issues to worry about. On the evening of September 11, the Equinix data center in Secaucus spilled about 5,500 gallons of diesel fuel into a small stream of the Hackensack River. According to state officials, it was caused by a computer glitch in Equinix's software that the company was made aware of that Friday night. Cleanup efforts are currently underway and expected to continue for several days. Read on to learn more about this massive data center spill. About the spill. Secaucus has been home to Equinix data centers for nearly two decades without a reported spill of this scale. That streak was broken when a computer error reportedly triggered the release of diesel fuel, sending it into Anderson Creek, according to Bill Sheehan of Hackensack Riverkeeper, who spoke with CBS News. Equinix representatives have reportedly said the company detected the spill Friday, stopped the release, and immediately contacted state and local officials. According to local officials, the spill was reported September 12 and originated from a storage tank at the Equinix data center. Clean Harbors, a provider of environmental and industrial cleanup services, was called in by Equinix to start remediating the leak before it could flow further down the river. As of September 15, the NJDEP has stated the fuel was contained in the creek before it could reach the Hackensack River. However, Bill told the Gothamist that he finds it difficult to believe the spill did not contaminate the Hackensack River. " The tributaries are the capillary system of the whole ecosystem," Bill told the Gothamist. "All the water that runs off of our land goes into the creeks first, and then runs through the creeks out into the river." Around 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel have been recovered from Anderson Creek, according to Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli. There have been no reports of damage to wildlife or the surrounding habitat. The NJDEP also said there have been no impacts to drinking water supplies. The battle of data centers. The spill comes as more municipalities across New Jersey are adopting restrictions on data centers and their expansion. According to environmental advocates, at least 90 communities have passed some form of restrictions on data centers. Bordering Secaucus is Jersey City, where the City Council recently voted to prohibit new artificial intelligence data centers in the city's industrial district and approved a ban on standalone data centers. Nearby communities are also adopting similar restrictions, such as Bayonne's citywide ban on constructing new data centers. Secaucus, meanwhile, does not currently have a data-center-specific ban or restrictions in its zoning code. Mayor Michael Gonnelli has been a public advocate of data centers and stated in the town newsletter that they are "good for the town." He called them "as important as grocery stores and gas stations" and "the backbone of everything we do digitally." The Bergen County Girl has reached out to the NJDEP for further information and will update this piece when The Hoboken Girl LLC. hear back. Emma Wallace is a Jersey girl through and through. She grew up in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, but has long been connected to Jersey City through her local church. Since moving to Jersey City last year, she has grown even more appreciative of the city's diversity, rich culture, and strong sense of community. Emma loves supporting and highlighting local businesses throughout Jersey City, Hoboken, and the greater NYC area. While she's happy to write about just about anything - learning new things is her favorite part of the job - she is especially interested in small businesses, local news, politics, and community events. When she's not writing, Emma can be found lifting weights at the gym, enjoying a good book, or exploring a new café with her husband. More Local Stories

Data centre leaks 5,000 gallons of fuel into waterway after suspected 'computer glitch' Published September 15, 2026 3:08pm Updated September 15, 2026 3:42pm A waterway has been polluted with thousands of gallons of fuel after it leaked from a data centre in New Jersey. Roughly 5,000 gallons of fuel leaked from a storage tank at Equinix's NY2 data center in Secaucus and flowed into Anderson Creek - a narrow tributary running through the New Jersey Meadowlands wetland in the northeast of the US state - on Friday evening. Secaucus mayor Michael Gonnelli said the spill had been caused by a 'computer glitch'. However, Equinix - the 'largest global data center and colocation provider for enterprise network and cloud computing', according to its website - said an investigation into the cause of the leak was still underway. Containment barriers and vacuum trucks were sent out to suck a mixture of diesel and water out of the creek in a bid to stop the pollution from spreading. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said the fuel did not reach the Hackensack River, a 45-mile-long river stretching through New Jersey and neighbouring New York, ultimately flowing into Newark Bay. But environmental campaigners and experts have branded the leak a 'slap in the face' and wondered whether it could have been contained entirely. Hackensack Riverkeeper Bill Sheehan told the nonprofit news outlet Gothamist: 'The tributaries are the capillary system of the whole ecosystem. 'All the water that runs off of our land goes into the creeks first, and then runs through the creeks out into the river.' Equinix said a fuel release was detected from a tank outside its facility on Friday, but that staff stopped the leak environmental contractor Clean Harbors and the fire brigade were called in and the DEP and Hudson Regional Health Commission were notified. Mayor Gonnelli said the data centre had been operating from the site since 2001. 'We've never had a problem before this time,' he said. 'There's a lot of complaints about data centers, I can tell you that. But right now, they did everything they had to do.' The DEP diesel fuel which had leaked from the facility had been contained. Equinix said a full investigation had been launched to establish the cause of the incident and to prevent future accidents. The company said: 'We are working closely with those agencies, local officials, and community stakeholders to ensure a thorough remediation,' adding that it remained 'committed to resolving this quickly, transparently, and responsibly.' News updates. Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.

Data center spilled 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel into river tributary. A New Jersey data center spilled roughly a small tanker truck's worth of diesel fuel into a nearby creek Friday. An estimated 5,000 gallons of No. 2 diesel fuel discharged from a storage tank at an Equinix data center in Secaucus, New Jersey, Friday, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The spill has been contained, and DEP said it does not yet know how much of the discharged fuel entered nearby Anderson Creek, a small tributary of the Hackensack River. The agency told the DCNF the spill has not impacted the Hackensack River, no wildlife impacts have been reported and there are no drinking water intakes in the area. Bill Sheehan, executive director of Hackensack Riverkeeper, said he was told a computer glitch caused the spill, according to CBS News New York. "The computer was calling for oil," Sheehan told the outlet. At current New Jersey retail prices, 5,000 gallons of diesel would be worth roughly $31,000, based on American Automobile Association (AAA) fuel-price data. Cleanup is being performed by a contractor for Equinix, and crews are expected to remain at the site for several days, DEP told the DCNF. The agency said it did not have information on potential enforcement actions at this time. Equinix said it detected the leak Friday evening and hired environmental services company Clean Harbors to conduct remediation work. The company plans to investigate the spill and said it is committed to resolving the situation quickly. "On the evening of Friday, September 11, Equinix operations detected a fuel leak from a storage tank outside our NY2 facility in Secaucus, NJ. The leak was stopped and we immediately engaged Clean Harbors to begin remediation efforts. We also contacted the Secaucus Fire Department, who responded promptly and subsequently notified the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and Hudson Regional Health Commission," an Equinix spokesperson told the DCNF. Around the web. "The NJDEP has confirmed there has been no impact to the Hackensack River. We are working closely with those agencies, local officials, and community stakeholders to ensure a thorough remediation while also conducting a full investigation to determine the root cause and prevent recurrence," the spokesperson added. "Equinix has been operating in Secaucus for more than two decades and takes our responsibility to the community seriously. We remain committed to resolving this quickly, transparently, and responsibly." The diesel spill comes amid a broader fight over data center development in New Jersey, where close to 100 cities and towns have enacted local bans on new facilities, according to Gothamist. Garden State activists have pushed Democratic New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill to impose a statewide moratorium on data center development, according to the Jersey Vindicator The opposition comes as the artificial intelligence boom drives a rapid expansion of data centers and their energy needs. U.S. data centers are projected to require an additional 15 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day for electricity by 2035, according to BloombergNEF outlook. The spill comes as diesel prices have surged amid disruptions to global oil and refined-fuel supplies. The national average price of diesel blew past $6 per gallon for the first time earlier in September as the Iran war squeezed global fuel supplies and disrupted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Diesel prices had already reached a record $5.85 per gallon earlier in September, surpassing the previous highs recorded during the 2022 energy crunch following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Diesel averaged about $3.72 per gallon in February, when the Iran war began, according to former AAA. The fuel's importance extends far beyond motorists who own diesel vehicles. Trucks haul food from farms and distribution centers to grocery stores, deliver packages to homes and businesses and move construction materials and other goods throughout the economy. The spill follows other infrastructure problems emerging alongside the rapid expansion of AI data centers, a leak traced to a Bitcoin mining site in El Reno, Oklahoma, wasted more than three million gallons of water and forced schools and businesses to close. All republished articles must include its logo, its reporter's byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about its guidelines or partnering with BizPacReview, please contact [email protected].