Small oil spill near Anacortes believed to be diesel fuel

By Jessica Blanchard
Seattle Times staff reporter

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The spill, estimated to be about 800 feet long and 30 feet wide, occurred in a narrow channel between Guemes Island and the Anacortes shore, said Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer Jeff Pollinger.

Officials say about 20 gallons of fuel spilled, going from the entrance of the Anchor Cove Marina east to just past Capsante.

A silver and rainbow sheen formed over the water, indicating the spill was very thin, said Coast Guard Cmdr. Mark Dix.

The source of the spill has not yet been determined; officials said it appeared to be diesel fuel. Authorities were looking at several potential sources, including a nearby refinery, Pollinger said.

But because the spill is likely diesel, a common fuel used for everything from pleasure craft to big ships, it may be difficult to track down the source, Pollinger said.

A water taxi first reported the spill just after 9 a.m., and several other vessels, including a Washington state ferry, radioed in to confirm it, Dix said.

Winds of up to 10 mph were slowly shifting the slick west, but it was not expected to wash up on the Anacortes shore, and had not contaminated any shoreline yesterday, Pollinger said.

Because the layer of oil is thin and difficult to remove, the Coast Guard planned to let it evaporate rather than try to clean it up, Pollinger said.

Much of the oil had evaporated by yesterday afternoon, he said, and the rest was expected to evaporate by this evening.

Coast Guard investigators took samples of the water yesterday, and tests of the spilled oil could reveal a chemical signature, which could then be used to track down the source.
 
Pollinger was not sure when the test results would be available.

The Anacortes spill was significantly smaller than the 1,000-gallon spill in South Puget Sound earlier this month, but no less frustrating for authorities. That spill soiled 21 miles of beaches around Dalco Passage between Vashon Island and Point Defiance in Tacoma.

Authorities have yet to determine from which ship the Dalco spill originated, but a senior Coast Guard official told The Times last week that investigators were focusing on two of the 12 ships that were in the area at the time.

Cleanup costs for that spill are nearly $1.6 million.

Jessica Blanchard: 206-464-3896 or jblanchard@seattletimes.com