Five months after an oil spill caused a public health threat and shut down a Stockton waterway, a man has been charged with illegally dumping petroleum in the area, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced.
Multiple agencies responded Sept. 28 to a report of an oil spill near Smith Canal in Stockton. The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies responded to the incident, recovering oil from the waterway and removing tainted soil along the canal, the CDFW said in a news release Wednesday.
State officials briefly halted fishing in the canal. When it resumed, it came with a warning that no fish or shellfish caught in the Port of Stockton, including Smith Canal, should be eaten.
The Coast Guard wrapped its cleanup efforts in early October and turned over responsibility to the Environmental Protection Agency for ongoing monitoring.
Tips from the community and a criminal investigation by the CDFW Law Enforcement Division and the Stockton Police Department following the incident led to the arrest of David Andrew Sump, who was booked on suspicion of dumping approximately 280 gallons of waste oil into the canal and its surroundings.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office has charged Sump with felony destruction of public property and disposal of hazardous waste, plus other misdemeanor charges, CDFW officials said.