Subpoenas issued in oil spill; cleanup costs top $750,000
Marine scientists yesterday examined a seal pup that died after being found alive with oil on its fur, as cleanup workers ended their focus on open water to concentrate on beaches fouled by last week's Dalco Passage oil spill.
U.S. Coast Guard investigators have issued subpoenas to individuals, vessels and one facility in search of the culprit behind the mysterious spill, which has spread around Key Peninsula, Tacoma, and Vashon and Maury islands in south Puget Sound, officials said.
An oil spill cleanup crew picks up debris off a beach in Manzanita on Vashon Island. It is still unknown who was responsible for the oil spill, first discovered Thursday, which fouled beaches from Tacoma north.
Investigators believe the vessel responsible for spilling the heavy-grade fuel oil is at least 65 feet long, said Petty Officer Adam Eggers, a Coast Guard spokesman.
Cleanup costs for the 1,000-gallon spill discovered early Thursday have topped $750,000 so far, according to Larry Altose, a spokesman for the joint information center of the state Ecology Department, Coast Guard and other agencies.
Altose said investigators are awaiting results of oil samples sent to a Coast Guard lab in Connecticut and to Ecology's lab in Kitsap County. But he and other officials refused to provide further details.
"We really don't want the investigation to get compromised at all," Eggers said.
Yesterday, a 150-member cleanup crew battled winds strong enough to trigger a small-craft advisory, as they searched for injured wildlife and continued efforts to cleanse 21 acres of affected shoreline in the south Sound. Workers have recovered 5,900 gallons of oily water and 6.2 tons of oily debris. They used 22 boats and 9,900 feet of protective boom.
From a helicopter, workers spotted small, isolated patches of non-recoverable oil on the water off southern Vashon Island, and southern and eastern Maury Island. They saw more floating pockets of oil outside Ollala and Clam bays.
"We've cleaned all we can off the water," Altose said.
Altose said workers will continue to use oil snares, or pom-poms, in the intertidal zones and will manually remove debris, such as driftwood and seaweed, that has absorbed oil. Crews have also raked oil-sopped sand above the tide line, to prevent oil from spreading further.
Eggers said yesterday's blustery weather both hindered and helped oil recovery. The wind prevented oil-skimming boats from reaching remote beaches, but bigger waves helped the pom-poms collect more oil. Today's weather was predicted to be similar.
As the cleanup enters its fifth day today, Altose said workers normally start seeing affected animals by this time.
So far, workers have seen just a "handful" of oiled seabirds, including a Western grebe.
"It's an encouraging sign. It could mean that the animals have made out well," Altose said. "It could also mean there are chronic toxic effects that the animals are suffering that won't be noticeable."
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Subpoenas issued in oil spill; cleanup costs top $750,000