Dalco spill

Cleanup from the Dalco Passage oil spill has ended, and beaches at King County parks on southern Vashon and Maury islands are open to the public again. The response to the spill will continue with long-term monitoring of beaches and tidal areas.

The response is directed by a unified command, representing the U.S. Coast Guard and the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), with additional local, tribal, state and federal agencies cooperating in the response.

The spill from an unknown source -- reported Oct. 14 in Dalco Passage between Tacoma and Vashon Island -- spread patches of oily sheen as far south as the Tacoma Narrows and as far north as Eagle Harbor. The sheen touched 15 miles of shore along Colvos Passage, the Narrows and Quartermaster Harbor and left a filmy coating along six miles of southern Vashon and Maury islands.

The unified command directed an effort that, at its peak, involved 286 people, ten skimmers, 24,000 feet of boom, three helicopters and additional boats and equipment. Crews recovered an estimated 59 tons of oily debris from shoreline cleanup and 6,842 gallons of oily water from skimming operations. The cleanup has so far reached nearly $2 million in estimated costs, paid out of federal and state oil-spill contingency funds.

A joint Coast Guard and Ecology investigation to determine the source of the spill continues.

Shoreline survey teams from Ecology, the Coast Guard, King County Parks, the state Department of Natural Resources and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found the beach cleanup areas free of oil during inspections this week. The unified command called an end to the cleanup, and response crews finished taking equipment and bags of debris away from the beaches and staging points yesterday.

Public Health-Seattle & King County yesterday authorized the removal of beach-closure signs posted early in the response at parks and other public access points.

The state Department of Health’s (DOH) precautionary closure of affected beach areas remains in effect for harvesting clams, oysters and other intertidal species, including seaweed. DOH will use sediment sample data from the ongoing beach monitoring to determine when harvesting can resume. The department is updating recreational harvest advisories as needed. The advisories can be viewed on the Department of Health Web site (link removed 11/16/05). Clams and oysters found in restaurants and markets have been harvested from areas unaffected by the oil spill and are safe to eat.

The Coast Guard will provide free inspection and, if needed, cleaning of oily waterlines of boats moored in spill-area waters. Boaters should check their vessel hulls for oiling and arrange an inspection before setting out on any voyage. Until November 30, for more information, please contact the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office directly at 206-217-6232. After November 30, contact the National Pollution Funds Center at 1-800-280-7118 to file a claim.

Polar Texas-Conoco Phillips Spill (Information on this site is considered to be accurate at the time of posting, but is subject to change as new information becomes available.)

Polar Texas-Conoco Phillips Spill
(Information on this site is considered to be accurate at the time of posting, but is subject to change as new information becomes available.)