Diesel spill at Ballena Isle Marina in Alameda

Laura Anthony Image
ByLaura Anthony KGO logo
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
KGO-KGO

ALAMEDA, Calif. (KGO) -- Fire and hazmat crews spent Wednesday morning containing a fuel leak at an Alameda marina trying to keep it from spreading to nearby Crown Beach.

A water rescue team from the Alameda Fire Department wasted little time, deploying their boat, part of a larger effort to contain a fuel spill at the Ballena Bay Marina.

"We came out with an engine company. We identified that it was widespread throughout the marina. We immediately shutdown the marina," said Alameda Fire Div. Chief Daren Olson.

With a light sheen on the water inside the Ballena Marina, fire crews from Oakland and Alameda were taking no chances, deploying about 300 feet of boom to seal off the area and keep what appeared to be diesel fuel from spreading.

While the fire crews worked to contain the spill, the U.S. Coast Guard brought in personnel to try to determine the source of the spill, which totaled about 25 gallons.

By early Wednesday afternoon, the Coast Guard and Fish and Wildlife personnel determined that the fuel was contained and posed no significant environmental risk.

"We do have birds in the area and they're not picking up oil on their feathers or anything, so I don't see the likelihood of that being very great," said Jim Highfill from the Coast Guard.

There was no damage reported to any of the boats at the marina. The spill was contained, but the source was never located.