Data center debacle as ‘computer glitch’ causes 5k gallons of diesel fuel to spill into New Jersey wetlands
Around 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from a storage tank at Equinix's NY2 data centre in Secaucus, New Jersey, on 11 September, flowing into Anderson Creek, a tributary feeding the Hackensack River. The incident has triggered a major clean-up operation and reignited anger over the rapid expansion of data centres across the state, with environmental campaigners questioning whether the contamination was fully contained given the sensitivity of the surrounding Meadowlands wetlands.
Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli attributed the spill to a "computer glitch", though Equinix said it was still investigating the cause; the firm brought in contractor Clean Harbors, while the Fire Department, state environmental officials and health authorities were also notified. Containment booms and vacuum trucks were deployed, and officials said the fuel was stopped before reaching the Hackensack River itself, with the clean-up roughly three-quarters complete. The spill adds pressure to an already fraught debate, as nearly 100 New Jersey municipalities have introduced local restrictions on new data centres and activists are calling for a statewide moratorium, while the Hackensack River is separately undergoing a major federal Superfund clean-up.
- Diesel spill from NJ data centre polluted a Hackensack River tributary
- Equinix blamed a "computer glitch"; clean-up nearly complete
- Incident fuels wider backlash against New Jersey's data centre boom
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