Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Fuel spill clean-up costly


Fuel soaks the sand at Beacon's Beach, Leucadia

Fuel spill clean-up costlier than original estimates

By: ADAM KAYE - Staff Writer

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.

read the rest of the NCT.com story: Fuel spill clean-up costlier than original estimates

Questions:

Are the Grunion eggs in the sand still alive?


The spill occurred a week after we had a major Grunion run in Leucadia.

Are the sandcrabs still alive?

Has anyone seen the Osprey that normally hunts for Corbina in Leucadia lately?

The surface of the kelp is home to small fish and other creatures, were they affected by the spill?



The spill was corralled into the kelp beds. My gut instinct was too keep the spill away from the kelp beds.

10 comments:

  1. the fuel on the right looks like it ended up over the kelp bed on it's own. Maybe the wind just pushed it along and it "pooled" on the relatively more calm kelp bed surface??

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bicyclist injured in Encinitas crash

    By: North County Times

    Why wasn't the below article featured on the blog?

    Have Leucadians become so accustom to the killing of Civilians along our HW101 its like reading another Iraq headline? No real news.

    I for one am outraged. The killing has to stop. The City Must lower the speed to 30mph like Carlsbad and others have done through there downtown areas. Slower speeds equals less dead.



    ENCINITAS ---- A 33-year-old man suffered a head injury and broken bones when his bike was struck by a pickup truck on Highway 101, authorities said.

    The crash occurred just before 2 p.m., when a 1996 Nissan pickup truck struck the southbound bicyclist as he headed through heavy traffic near A Street, sheriff's Sgt. J. Mata said.

    Preliminary investigation indicates that the driver, Encinitas resident Gilberto Tiadoro, 35, was at fault in the crash, Mata said.


    The bicyclist was unconscious when deputies arrived and was taken by Mercy Air ambulance to Scripps La Jolla Hospital for treatment, the sergeant said.

    The Encinitas sheriff's traffic division is investigating the crash.

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    Comments On This Story

    Note: Comments reflect the views of readers and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff.
    Golly-Gee wrote on Jun 10, 2007 6:15 AM:

    " What are the chances that Mr. Tiadoro has insurance? "



    Encinitas needs to do better wrote on Jun 10, 2007 8:09 AM:

    " Why doesn't the City construct proper bike lanes so people don't die? I would ride a bike more, but I am afraid of getting run over just like this poor dude. "



    paint won't protect wrote on Jun 10, 2007 6:10 PM:

    " line or not, a driver would see a bicyclist if looking and yielding as he should have been doing. "



    Chata wrote on Jun 10, 2007 8:59 PM:

    " Golly-Gee what makes you think he doesnt have insurance? It says nothing about that in the report. Do you assume this because he has a hispanic name? There is no need for comments like that you aren't doing anything to help anybody so please keep your rude prejudice remarks to yourself. Thank you "



    Scott wrote on Jun 10, 2007 9:52 PM:

    " I'm suprised City Copter 1 didn't scoop this guy up before Mercy Air got there. They like doing that sort of thing. Just ask the Sheriffs. "



    are you serious? wrote on Jun 10, 2007 10:10 PM:

    " how racist can you be golly-gee.. what kind of person are you? "



    ed wrote on Jun 11, 2007 9:14 AM:

    " not racist comment but generalized... a higher probability of this ethnic group being an uninsured motorist. just like not all terrorists today are middle eastern but higher probablity. hopefully the motorist was obeying the law and had insurance. "



    How about slowing traffic on HW101 wrote on Jun 11, 2007 11:42 AM:

    " There has been and will continue to be an increase in road kills along HW101. The City needs to lower the speed limit to 30mph like Carslbad did through its downtown area. Slower speeds equals less dead. "



    Details ..??? wrote on Jun 11, 2007 12:04 PM:

    " Was the cyclist wearing a helmet? Going with the flow or against traffic? What can we learn from this tragedy? "



    I'm with Golly Gee... wrote on Jun 11, 2007 2:57 PM:

    " My first thought, was "I sure hope the bike rider is ok". Second thought...gee wonder if he has insurance, and better yet is he legal? It's not racist...it's being a realist!! What up and look around! "



    Laura wrote on Jun 12, 2007 4:39 AM:

    " details....yes he was wearing a helmet....why do so many people want to focus on the exception? the majority of cylist do everything possible to stay safe and not be a hazard. "



    Details..??? wrote on Jun 12, 2007 12:08 PM:

    " Laura, my questions were not a focus on the exception, but rather an interest to learn from others. This is a similar process that is used as an airplane Pilot - when there is an incident/accident, you try to discover how it can be prevented in the future - not just looking for blame. "



    laura wrote on Jun 12, 2007 2:48 PM:

    " details.....sorry....wasn't referring to your post.....was more concerned with the hostility comments regarding a recent article about another injured cyclist.... "

    ReplyDelete
  3. No big deal- You are correct J.P. did drop the ball on this posting, probibly out spending his $50 from the reader. But on a more serious note, what has the district attorney done regarding the 2 cases invoving death on Encinitas streets. The man killed by the kid in the 85 MPH pick-up truck on 101 and then the student killed on Santa Fe under the I-5. Both cases happened months ago and yet no word on whether the drivers are being prosecuted.

    Walking, riding your bike, or staggering down the 101 is life threating every day.

    RSPB

    ReplyDelete
  4. Instead of lowering the speed limit on the 101, a safer and more convenient solution would be to ban the bicyclist mafias from the 101. Lets them cruise down vulcan or neptune. I'm tired of some lame hard-head 2 wheeler cutting me off on my morning commute, or watching as a group of 50 bicyclist taking up 1.5 lanes blow the 4 way stop in front of Juanitas...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Of course diesel oil contamination is hazardous. If this had been 1000 gallons of milk, we would have just let the ocean dilute it and gone on our merry way. But no, the authorities were there in force and the Hazmat crew did their best to clean it up.

    What will minimize the damage is the relatively small size of the spill and the fact that it was one-time event. More problematic, for example, is the buried diesel tank on the Hall property that was leaking diesel oil for many years. Robert Hall knew about this. There is no record that the tank was ever removed.

    Close neighbors complain about smelling diesel oil with heavy rains with runoff into Rossini Creek, even after the city bought the property. The consultant who did the soil testing for the EIR found a diesel oil hotspot and suggested that there may be an unknown buried tank. It's sad to think that we can't even trust our own city.

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  6. I love the bikes and wish more people could safely bike like in Nordic areas.

    Americans are so stupid and focused on gas guzzling big trucks to make up for their tiny penis size all to idle in grid lock traffic. Most of the mucho trucks never see a day of dirt roads. If these prissy boys had real balls, they'd get out of their trucks once in awhile and enjoy are area on bike. Oh I know what will even make me look tougher, I'll through a dog thats been bread for hundreds of years to fight in pit. Yeah that it-I put a pit bull in the back. Those trucks should just put a sign on their side saying "Small Dick Retard Inside".

    ReplyDelete
  7. well mr. small d___k. You must be a bike rider which means you are probably jealous of the big truckers because you have shriveled b__ls from sitting on that small seat.

    Get a life.

    ReplyDelete
  8. How many families are out biking? Very few ride bikes because of the dangerous road conditions.

    ReplyDelete
  9. My girl likes the way the bike seat makes my big b_lls all soft and cuddly.

    Maybe you tough trucker types might want to try it. It beats paying $300 a week in gas and porn site fees.

    ReplyDelete
  10. In regards to your question about the osprey... I see them ALL the time inland - no kidding!! There are some nesting out by the chicken ranch in Harmony Grove. They really are absolutely beautiful. I guess the snakes and field mice I see them hunting are a little less contaminated..

    ReplyDelete

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