Diesel spill reported in Duwamish near Harbor Island

State ecology and Coast Guard crews attempted unsuccessfully Wednesday night to determine the source or extent of a reported diesel fuel spill in the Duwamish River near Harbor Island.

State Ecology department spokesman Dan Partridge said Olympic Tug and Barge on Harbor Island reported the spill about 4:30 p.m. A team from Ecology confirmed evidence of a spill before dark but was unable to determine the source after searching for about four hours, he said.

Ecology said Olympic helped with initial cleanup, recovering about 25 gallons of the fuel from the water on the southeastern side of Harbor Island.

Partridge said crews had found no impact on fish or wildlife. All spills have the potential to cause environmental damage regardless of size. "It doesn't take much fuel to cause environmental damage," he said.

Diesel fuel spreads and evaporates rapidly in water, making it difficult to trace it. The search was to resume Thursday morning.