Office of Spill Prevention and Response

OSPR crew monitoring a bulk carrier ship in the Santa Fe Channel in Richmond. The 600-foot vessel reportedly began taking on water last night due to a compromised hull. Assessment by divers is underway. The ship’s fuel tanks are not in the area of water intrusion, per best available information. No reports of a discharge and no observed impacts to wildlife.

The Unified Command that’s led response efforts to the American Challenger incident has ended emergency oil pollution response efforts. OSPR will now proceed as part of a coalition of agencies that will address additional environmental concerns from the grounded vessel. More at CalSpillWatch.Wordpress.com.

OSPR team members are volunteering to help residents from less fortunate neighborhoods get vaccinated as part of an initiative led by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The Oakland Mass Vaccine Clinic is being held at Oakland Coliseum and provides drive-through vaccinations at no cost.

A Unified Command has suspended its oil pollution assessment of the American Challenger to preserve health and safety of responders. The oil pollution threat appears to be minimal at this time based on a preliminary assessment and investigation. Long term monitoring and risk mitigation operations will commence under a new unified command structure. Read the full update at CalSpillWatch.Wordpress.com. Photo courtesy Lind Marine Inc.

Update on American Challenger Incident: Crews assessed the shoreline today and conducted drone overflights. There were no new reports of sheening and no debris observed. A virtual open house is set for tomorrow. For more info and the link to attend, visit CalSpillWatch.Wordpress.com. Photos courtesy Lind Marine Inc.

Crews continue to monitor the bay in the Richmond area and have not seen any sheen on water. Containment boom that had been placed around sensitive environmental sites was removed yesterday after it was determined there was no longer a threat. Beachgoers were also back at Keller Beach enjoying the pleasant, post-rain sunshine. For the latest updates and more background info., including FAQ about last week’s spill, visit recoveredoillineleak.com

Cleanup and recovery efforts neared completion today in the Richmond area as shoreline assessment teams and aerial drones monitored land and water for residue from Tuesday’s pipeline leak at the Chevron Long Wharf. No sheen was detected in the bay and the only cleanup underway is along the waterfront next to the wharf. Keller Beach and public access points on Western Drive have reopened. The pipe involved remains isolated and out of operation and an investigation into cause i...s ongoing. Monitoring will continue over the holiday weekend and protective boom is in place near sensitive sites as a precaution. No oiled wildlife have been observed. For a list of Frequently Asked Questions, visit the incident webpage at recoveredoillineleak.com See more

The Port continues to work closely with state and federal partners to investigate the source of the petroleum seeping from the shore and Bay floor into Hyde Str...eet Harbor, and to contain and remove the petroleum. Next week we will resume our site investigation work in the area by advancing soil borings. The planned soil boring work will help us better understand the composition and nature of the petroleum product that is seeping into the Bay. This data will be vital to the investigation into the source and identification of other potentially responsible party(ies). Beginning on February 16th, eleven direct-push soil borings will be advanced to depths of approximately 25 feet below ground surface to facilitate soil and groundwater sampling. This work is expected to be completed within three days. Expect to see a drill rig and support trucks onsite for the duration of this work. Thank you for your continued patience and support as we continue to investigate the source of the petroleum seep and contain and remove petroleum. USCG Sector San Francisco Office of Spill Prevention and Response - OSPR U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Pacific Southwest

OSPR’s team of incident investigators collected samples from recovered sorbent boom at the Richmond Long Wharf yesterday. The U.S. Coast Guard and Chevron are also conducting ongoing investigations. The investigations are kept independent of the response.

The Unified Command responding to the pipeline release in Walnut Creek conducted a site walkthrough and sign off on the initial phase of the response Wednesday. The incident will now enter long term remediation phase facilitated by the SF Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. Although petroleum hydrocarbons remain in soil underneath the San Ramon Bypass Channel, crews continue efforts to reduce the amount of product reaching the surface while remediation continues.

OSPR spill responder Roy Kim is this month’s CDFW Featured Scientist. Roy is a member of OSPR’s Central Field Response Team and is often among the first on-scene to inland and marine spills throughout the region.

Staff from OSPR's Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center was recognized with a proclamation from the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors for a donation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 14,000 pieces of PPE were donated, including gloves, N95 masks, coveralls, eye protection and face shields. The donated items were made available to health care workers on the front lines.

OSPR and its partner agencies remain engaged in a unified response to petroleum seepage near San Francisco’s Hyde Street Pier. The seepage has been observed along 500-600 feet of rocky shoreline and is being contained and cleaned with oil skimming equipment. A sampling and analysis plan is under development to reveal potential sources, and will likely include geophysical surveys and optical imaging. There have been many companies that have either stored, handled, processed or distributed petroleum at the site since the early 1900s. No oiled wildlife has been observed since the response began.

Today is National First Responders Day. CDFW wildlife officers are accustomed to going just about anywhere to solve a poaching crime or render aid during an eme...rgency. Our jurisdiction includes the entire state of California and 200 miles out to sea. Our officers are there to protect California’s citizens, fish and wildlife and the habitats on which they depend -- days, nights, weekends and holidays. See more

Dozens of old barges, tugboats, and cranes clutter waterways in the Delta. These vessels are former commercial and even government vessels, sometimes purchased at federal auctions for a dollar. They may pose a direct threat to waterways due to raw sewage and dangerous chemicals used to produce illegal drugs from people living onboard. On Friday U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Rear Admiral Brian Penoyer, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Chuck Bonham, and other feder...al and local officials toured the area. Authorities explained to the group that vessels like these typically become abandoned and sink polluting the waterway and causing a danger to navigation routes. Boats and barges that sink in navigable waters may be removed by the US Army Corp of Engineers. The other boats remain as no agency has funding to remove them. These boats damage the habitat they rest on and slowly leak residual oil and sometimes lead paint into the environment. Twenty-five percent of OSPR responses are due to abandoned and derelict vessels leaking oil, a large portion of those numbers are commercial vessels.

OSPR crew responded to a tanker truck accident on westbound I-80 in Richmond Saturday. A yet to be determined amount of gasoline was released from the truck (carrying 8,000 gallons), after it collided with a motorcycle. Fortunately, there were no injuries. Assessments over the weekend showed some sheen in San Pablo Creek, but not far enough to reach San Pablo Bay. No oiled wildlife were observed.

OSPR crew on-scene of overturned tanker truck in Bakersfield. Truck was carrying hot tar and an estimated 10-15 gallons was released into a dry drainage ditch. The Kern River is only an 1/8 mile from the site and was not impacted. No oiled wildlife observed.

A quick response by OSPR’s Central Response Team in Santa Barbara County prevented a spill from this grounded fishing vessel. The vessel was removed without incident and no oiled wildlife were observed.

OSPR and its industry partners continue adapting to remote work requirements during the pandemic. This oil spill drill was held yesterday, with staff participating from their homes or in offices with social distancing. The online experience not only keeps industry partners up to date on drill requirements, but helps all of us prepare for this type of response to an actual incident. (Of course not including OSPR field response teams that are ready to respond on-scene safely statewide).

OSPR crew and Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Engine 85 in Pittsburg responded to a sunken cabin cruiser in Antioch yesterday. The fire crew used equipment from their OSPR-granted trailer to contain fuel before it could spread further into the bay. No oiled wildlife observed.

Registration has begun for the 31st annual (virtual) meeting of the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force. The meeting is an opportunity for members to provide updates on their work in spill prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. Sign up here:

In honor of our many officers whose lives have been impacted by breast cancer and in recognition of October as Breast Cancer Awareness month, CDFW wildlife offi...cers are issued pink shoulder patches to wear on their uniforms. It’s all part of the Pink Patch Project. The pink patches are intended to stimulate conversation with the community, promote awareness about the importance of early detection in the fight against breast cancer and honor our officers and their loved ones who have been impacted by this disease. Patches are authorized for use on wildlife officers’ field uniforms from Oct. 131. CDFW is not currently selling these patches to the public. However, sale of the pink patches may be possible in the future from a partner organization. If/when these patches become available for purchase, we will announce it through social media. https://pinkpatchproject.com/

Scientists from OSPR’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment program (NRDA) collected environmental samples (i.e., surface water, crayfish) at Donner Lake and along the Truckee River, this week. The collected samples help document pre-spill conditions that may assist the NRDA team in evaluating impacts should an accidental petroleum spill occur in the Truckee/Donner area. In these photos, (1) Scientist Bryand Duke sets a crayfish trap at Donner Lake, and (2) a train passes along the Truckee River.

Love sea otters? This week (Sept. 20-26) is #SeaOtterAwareness week. Behind the cute face and fluffy fur, the sea otter is an aquatic environmentalist! They eat... urchins, which helps kelp forest flourish, and by enjoying crabs, it helps promote eelgrass in estuaries. Join Morro Bay State Parks and Sea Otter Savvy today at noon for the Float Down the Coast w/ Sea Otters for an opportunity to virtually visit six locations along California’s coast. DYK: In California, sea otters live along the coast from Santa Barbara to San Mateo Counties. This marine mammal is an endangered species. Their relatives are the weasels and ferrets. #WildlifeWednesday #CAStateParks See more