Fuel spill clean-up costlier than original estimates

ENCINITAS — The fuel spill that fouled the ocean near Encinitas in late May cost about 80000 to clean up, 20000 more than originally estimated, a US Coast Guard official said Monday.

ENCINITAS — The fuel spill that fouled the ocean near Encinitas in late May cost about $80,000 to clean up, $20,000 more than originally estimated, a U.S. Coast Guard official said Monday.

Lt. j.g. Lis Bosma said the cause of the 500- to 1,000-gallon spill — the worst off the city’s shoreline in 30 years — remains under investigation.

The Coast Guard’s laboratory in Groton, Conn., is continuing to analyze fuel samples taken from the water and from four vessels that were in the area between midnight May 29 and 11 a.m. May 31, when the spill occurred.

Bosma said she expects to see lab results by the end of the week.

On Wednesday, Encinitas Fire Department Chief Mark Muir is scheduled to report on emergency crews’ response to the incident, which closed two miles of coastal waters from Grandview to D streets for nearly three days.

Local, state and federal authorities and a private contractor took part in the clean-up and investigation.

Bosma said the quantity of discharged fuel suggests that it came from a large vessel.

Environmental damage from the discharge, however, appears to be minimal, authorities said.

“I was expecting to find bird carcasses washing ashore several days later and nothing unusual washed up,” said Robin Lewis, senior environmental specialist for the state Department of Fish and Game.

The fuel left an iridescent sheen on the ocean’s surface before crews used absorbent pads to mop it up.

The fuel could have caused chemical burning of surface-level kelp, but Lewis said he could not confirm whether that had happened.

“The good thing is it wouldn’t have killed the plant, which under ideal conditions will grow up to a meter a day,” he said.

At the time of the spill, Lewis said officials were most concerned that a nesting colony of the endangered least terns at nearby Batiquitos Lagoon would be at risk. That’s because adult terns feed offshore, and if their feathers were to become contaminated they could in turn contaminate nests and eggs.

If the Coast Guard’s investigation produces evidence that leads to an arrest, the military agency would hand the case over to the state Department of Fish and Game, Bosma said.

Wendy Johnson, staff counsel for the agency’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, said the state would forward the matter to the district attorney’s office for review and possible prosecution.

If a suspected culprit is identified, the state attorney general could also pursue charges, she said.

Johnson said that federal violations, namely those of the Clean Water Act, would be pursued by the U.S. attorney’s office.