An oil spill that temporarily closed the Smith Canal to fishing is in the final throes of being cleaned up.
The Coast Guard has turned over responsibility for the effort to the Environmental Protection Agency for ongoing monitoring.
“We go out and get (with) contractors and oversee their work and make sure it gets done properly,” said Michael Brogan, a San Francisco-based spokesman for the EPA.
Initial reports from the Coast Guard noted that a container with a capacity of 380 gallons had been discovered in the area, but that figure was later downsized to a 280-gallon capacity, Brogan said.
While it is not clear how much oil was released, “this is a relatively small spill,” Brogan said, adding that it still needed to be treated quickly and seriously. “Any oil released into the environment is an issue for concern.”
The incident doesn’t appear to have coated any wildlife, the Coast Guard said, although at least one bird was seen with oiled feathers in the vicinity last week.
The spill, believed to have been caused by illegal dumping, was discovered Sept. 28 when a sheen was spotted on the water. About a mile of the canal from Yosemite Lake at American Legion Park to Mission Road was closed. Absorbent booms were deployed in an effort to contain the oil.
Preliminary tests from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Office of Spill Prevention and Response indicate the spill contained a lubricating fluid, which could have been hydraulic or transmission oil, a lubricating oil or some mix of those products.
The canal reopened to fishing one day after it was closed. The state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, however, recommended not eating any fish caught in the canal or in the Port of Stockton. The recommendation stemmed not from the spill but rather from contamination from polychlorinated biphenyl, commonly known as PCBs. The office also advised against dropping a hook anywhere there is a residual oil sheen.
Cleanup costs are being directed to the National Pollution Fund Center, which is accepting written claims, according to the Coast Guard.