District 11 Public Affairs
Alameda, Calif.

Press Release

Date: May 5, 2008 

Contact: Coast Guard Public Affairs (415) 399-7326 or (510) 772-8865

Department of Fish and Game OSPR (916) 539-6124

RICHMOND, Calf. - The Coast Guard, along with the Department of Fish and Game Office of Spill Prevention and Response and East Bay Regional Parks officials, is continuing to work with Clean Harbors to contain and remove the chemical spilled into a Richmond irrigation ditch, today. The amount of substance released into the environment is estimated by the facility to be approximately 3,300 gallons.  

Initial reports indicated that a very minimal amount of the substance, now confirmed to be Toluene, was able to reach the San Pablo Bay. However, upon further investigation workers discovered that an unknown quantity of the chemical was able to seep into the surrounding marsh and wash into the Bay.

The chemical that has reached the San Pablo Bay is expected to dissapate, and will not affect shipping lanes. California Department of Fish and Game environmental scientists will continue to assess the potential impact on fish, wildlife, and vegetation.

Workers have already recovered 3,000 gallons of Toluene and water mixture from the area, and are expected to continue efforts until sundown. The cleanup will resume tomorrow morning to recover more spilled product. 

 U.S. Coast Guard- More than one million lives saved since 1790.