Oil spills into Boston's Muddy River, threatening the wildlife

Oil spilled into the Muddy River on the Brookline/Boston line Sunday afternoon, leaving the community concerned about animals that were coated in oil.

Brookline police say they were dispatched to the river in the area of the Longwood MBTA Station around 12:05 p.m. for a report of a possible oil leak.

The Boston Fire Department responded as well as the leak affected both sides of the waterway.

First responders determined there had been some sort of leak into the water and that wildlife was impacted. The nature and exact location of the leak are not known at this time, police said.

Numerous Canadian geese/ducks were affected by the leak, and New England Wildlife responded to help. At least eight birds -- more than a mile away at Longwood Station -- were brought back to their facility to be treated; it's unclear at this time if any more animals are danger.

Brookline police noted that members of the community had expressed concern for the wellbeing of the impacted wildlife and were interested in what they could do to help. However, police said it's important for something like this that they only use people with "proper [personal protective equipment] and training."

"For that reason, volunteers were not able to participate," police said in a statement posted to Facebook.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and Clean Harbors were on scene to evaluate and consider next steps.

“When we got there the first thing I noticed was the smell,” said Jane Newhouse, founder of Newhouse Wildlife Rescue. "[The animals are] just constantly pruning and trying to get it off themselves but you know oil doesn't come off very easily obviously.”

“The issue with the oil spill especially right now where it's very cold outside is the oil messes up [the birds'] waterproofing,” Newhouse added. "They can get hypothermic very easily.”

The oil spill left a sheen on the river that connects to Leverett Pond in Brookline, where state environmental officials say the oil is flowing from an outfall.

“I can’t tell you right now exactly where it’s coming from but it does have the properties of home heating oil,” said Max Scott with the MassDEP Emergency Response.

Clean Harbors, a state-funded contractor, was setting booms up and down the stream to absorb the oil. It's unclear how big the spill is.

“We don’t know at this time the quantity," Scott said. "It’s likely less than 100 gallons.”

The outfall sits across from the Brook House Condominium, which the Brookline Department of Public Works identified as the source of a similar spill two years ago.

“If it came from a residence and we were able to identify that residence then it would be on the owner," Scott said.

Officials will be coming back to the river in the coming days to check on wildlife and replace absorbent materials as needed.

The investigation and follow-up is ongoing at this point.