Thousands of gallons of cooling oil leaked into storm drains Thursday after a contractor struck an electrical transmission cable in Port Washington.

A New York State Department of Environmental Conservation representative said about 3,000 to 5,000 gallons of the oil, designed to cool the cable, piled onto West Shore Road and Fairway Drive. Hazmat and spill response teams started cleaning up and containing the non-toxic petroleum coolant with piles of sand. However, some of the oil entered storm drains that lead directly to Hempstead Harbor. The DEC official said the spill reached parts of the marsh, but has not yet hit the open water.

Officials said the cleanup effort could take a couple of days. The Town of North Hempstead hired the contractor that hit the high-voltage Long Island Power Authority transmission cable.