The state Department of Environmental Conservation is investigating a hydraulic oil spill on Owasco Lake that involved a mower from the state Department of Transportation.

The mower was in the northbound lane when it leaked at least five gallons of fluid between two residential docks at 5151 and 5141 West Lake Road/Route 38 in Fleming.

Josh Ribakove, a spokesman for DOT, said a hydraulic hose got snagged on debris and was ripped off the mower at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Diane Carlton a spokeswoman for the DEC, said the department was investigating the leak and whether or not the DEC was notified in a timely manner.

Under current guidelines, the DEC is supposed to be notified within two hours for spills exceeding five gallons, Ribakove said. The operator of the vehicle, Ribakove said, initially believed that less than two gallons of oil had gotten into the ground and nearby water.

When the DEC was officially notified by the Cayuga County Department of Water at 4 p.m., DEC officials were already on the scene.

Also on the scene were the Fleming Fire Department and the Auburn Fire Department's HAZMAT team.

Workers from Op-Tech, an environmental cleaning company based in Syracuse, were brought to the scene by the DEC Wednesday night to begin cleaning up a 300-square-foot area containing about 145 square feet of seaweed, Carlton said. The workers used booms to prevent the oil from spreading and absorbent packs to clean up the fluid.

Op-tech was also back at the spill site at 5:30 a.m. Thursday to continue the cleanup, which included any contaminated soil.

Ribakove said he believed the cleanup would be finished by Thursday night.