An official with the state Department of Environmental Conservation said last week that the spill, while bigger than originally estimated, had been contained and only a little oil was making it into the river on occasion.

"It spread out a lot further than anybody originally anticipated," said DEC spill investigator Tom Lane. "It was a small leak that went undetected for a long time."

Lane said "at least several hundred" and possibly up to a thousand gallons of No. 2 fuel oil leaked from the Sports Center’s heating system due to a faulty valve. The DEC and authorities were alerted to the problem in early November by Cooperstown resident Mary Fines, who noticed a sheen on the river while walking next to it.

Oil could still be smelled from the facility’s parking lot Tuesday afternoon, and a rainbow sheen could be seen on the water that trickled down a drainage area leading away from the Clark Sports Center to the Susquehanna River. Several absorbent booms were placed at intervals along the drainage path, but oil could be seen pooled at the location where the drainage area meets the river.

A set of booms _ which are designed to absorb oil but let water through _ covered the surface of the area where the runoff meets the river and appeared to be stopping any oil from getting into the river.

Lane said the cleanup process was continuing at the site and that it could take years before it was entirely clean. He said four companies are involved in the cleanup. OP-TECH was doing work to clean the drainage stream, Clean Harbors was excavating the old heating system’s two 10,000 gallon tanks, Valley Equipment was working on tank replacement and the fourth company was involved with groundwater investigation.

"They’re doing everything possible to clean it up," Lane said. Part of the groundwater investigation and remediation plan involved boring 10 to 12 monitor wells in the ground to see where the oil had spread. He said it was pretty well contained between the tank area and the area heading down toward the river.

When asked whether the leak posed any threat to residents living near the Sports Center, Lane responded "absolutely not."

OP-TECH project manager Phil Halloway declined to comment about his company’s involvement in cleaning up the spill.

"All information is disseminated by the DEC. We’re not allowed to comment," he said.

Sports Center Director Brad Feik declined to comment further about the situation except to say that he hoped to see it cleaned up within the next few weeks.

In November, Feik said an entirely new and improved heating system was being installed in order to prevent future occurrences of this nature.

The Clark Sports Center will not be fined for the leak, Lane said, as they’ve been working diligently to repair the damage and did not cause the leak through negligence.

"As long as they’re being very cooperative and accepting responsibility" there won’t be a fine, Lane said. "The leak wasn’t the result of them not doing something. It’s just one of those things that happen."