Fuel samples negative, Encinitas council told

ENCINITAS — Fuel samples taken from four vessels of interest don’t match samples of the diesel that spilled off the

Encinitas shoreline late last month, authorities told the City Council on Wednesday.

ENCINITAS — Fuel samples taken from four “vessels of interest” don’t match samples of the diesel that spilled off the Encinitas shoreline late last month, authorities told the City Council on Wednesday.

Samples from one commercial ship and three Navy ships were tested, said Mark Muir, Encinitas Fire Department chief.

“All (testing) came out negative,” Muir said.

Joining Muir in reporting to the council were lifeguards and Lt. j.g. Lis Bosma of the U.S. Coast Guard, which is leading the investigation of a spill in late May estimated at 500 to 1,000 gallons.

The contaminated water closed more than one mile of beaches for a weekend, but no injuries to people or damage to marine life has been reported.

No remnants of the sheen were visible during a flyover of the spill site June 12, Muir said.

The Coast Guard is continuing its investigation by reviewing the records of its vessel tracking system, Bosma said.

She said she did not know how many ships the investigation would target. The Coast Guard can take fuel samples from any ship of within U.S. waters, she said, and if vessels of interest now are abroad, the Coast Guard can test them when they return.

Anyone found responsible for the discharge faces an $80,000 bill for the cleanup and other possible fines, Muir said.

For now, a federal fund created from fuel taxes is covering the cost.

The Coast Guard alerted local authorities to the spill at about noon May 31. At the time, the sheen was thought to be about three to four miles offshore, but lifeguards were unable to locate it.

Hours later, at about 6 p.m., the Fire Department responded to a West Glaucus Street resident’s report of a “diesel-like” odor.

“It was really bad,” Fire Department Division Chief Scott Henry said of the smell. “There were a lot of residents in the neighborhood who were concerned. As we moved west, the smell was there still, getting stronger, and with the lifeguards’ assistance, we were able to trace it to a substance on the water.”

By 6:30 p.m. May 31, a yellowish substance was visible in the breaking waves off Beacon’s Beach. By 9 p.m., the beaches between Grandview to D streets were closed and did not reopen fully until June 4.

The closure caused the cancellation of the June 2 Switchfoot Bro-Am Surf Contest at Moonlight Beach.

“Our beach was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Henry said.

Also at Wednesday’s meeting, the council voted 5-0 to increase trash collection fees. Most residential customers will see monthly increases of 72 cents, from $17.12 to $17.84. That’s a 4.2 percent increase.

EDCO Waste and Recycling Services provides trash collection services to Encinitas. In a letter to the city, EDCO cites consumer price index and disposal fee increases as the reasons for the rate hike.

To comply with state laws, the city in April mailed notices to 22,017 property owners informing them of the pending increase and their right to protest it.

A majority of property owners could have halted the increase by writing letters of protest, but as of Wednesday’s hearing, only six had done so, said Public Works Director Larry Watt.