Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2000 17:37:59 -0700 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Charlie Subject: Re: Winds Sweep Oil Into Patuxent MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hi Folks, Just got back from a long day surveying for DNR south of the oil spill. It has spread much worse than they thought it would. Winds sent the oil right over the booms. My team found it as far south as Sandgates (didn't see Shrimpy - or any other charadriformes there). The owner told us it had just started coming up in the last few hours. There is an almost imperceptible amount at the mouth of Battle Creek. None at the mouth of Cat Creek, and the worst spot I personally saw is just south of the plant. The situation *as I understand it* is this: The leak persisted somewhere about 6 hours. Somewhere between 110,000-130,000 gallons hit the creek, but was contained until heavy winds Sunday spread it. I am told that the Calvert side got hit much more than the PG/Charles/St Marys because the winds (until today) have been heading east. The job I was given today was to patrol several beaches (I was actually assisting a DNR person, not in charge of anything myself) and radio back updates RE oiled animals, and oiled beaches. Between 10 am and 5 pm We found one dead Muskrat (only found it because we were watching an oiled fox, which found it, and absconeded) and a couple dead fish. One Ruddy was bad enough for us to call it in. And that is it! I am happy that it wasn't the mess I was expecting. But I was NOT in the worst place. If you've read to the bottom of this, and are interested in helping tomorrow (Thursday) starting at 8:30 am, please call me tonight before 10 pm. at 410-741-0369 and I will give yuo the needed info. They really need more surveying help, and they will pair you with someone who is experienced. Charlie --- Tyler Bell wrote: > Winds Sweep Oil Into Patuxent > > By Steven Gray > Washington Post Staff Writer > Monday, April 10, 2000; Page B01 > > Yesterday's fierce winds and heavy overnight > rain pushed some of the > 110,000 gallons of fuel oil that leaked from a > Potomac Electric Power Co. > pipeline into the Patuxent River, severely > hampering efforts to scoop the > oil, federal and Maryland officials said. > > The oil spill, one of the largest ever in the > state, occurred Friday night > and at first was mostly contained to Swanson's > Creek and about 45 acres of > marshland near Pepco's Chalk Point Generation > Station in Aquasco. But > yesterday the plume of oil moved into the > nearby Patuxent River, about two > miles south of the plant. The spill now > affects land in Calvert and Prince > George's counties. > > Some residents of the area said yesterday that > the oil is as much as two > inches deep on the water and has fouled about > 100 feet of the riverbank, > blanketing the beach about three feet from the > water's edge. They also > complained that the oil smells bad. > > Officials said last night that they did not > know how long the cleanup or > restoration of the area might take. But > officials said they believed the > initial cleanup of the Patuxent should only > take only a few days. > "Our first priorities are to re-contain this > oil in Swanson's Creek and to > remove it from the Patuxent River. This will > continue as long as the high > winds persist," said Colby Stanton, the lead > coordinator for the Federal > Environmental Protection Agency. > > Under a 1990 pollution law, the EPA is > directed to investigate the cause > of major releases of oil. > > Pepco Chairman John M. Derrick Jr. said > yesterday that he has ordered > about 100 people to begin work today to lower > cotton-like "blankets" > capable of absorbing the oil that has spilled > along the bank. "We are > eager to protect the wildlife and sensitive > wetland area and intend to > restore the marsh and any other affected > shoreline to their original > beauty," he said. > > Investigators haven't determined exactly how > or where the 12-inch steel > pipeline ruptured. The leak occurred in a > 12-mile stretch of the 51-mile > pipeline that usually carries oil to generate > electricity during the > winter and summer. The pipeline ordinarily > carries oil similar in > consistency to mayonnaise. But the spill > occurred when lighter oil, > similar to heating oil, was sent through the > pipe in preparation for > regular inspection. The company learned of the > leak about 6 p.m. Friday > and within 30 minutes had lowered floating > booms spanning a mile across > the creek in an effort to prevent water from > seeping into the Patuxent > River, officials said. > > By midnight, officials had isolated a > 1,500-foot section that contained > the leak and had shut down the pipeline. > > U.S. Coast Guard and Pepco sent equipment from > Baltimore and Norfolk into > the river yesterday. Oil was vacuumed into > four tanker trucks, and > additional booms were repositioned into the > creek and marsh area in an > effort to contain the oil. > > Stanton said that about a dozen muskrats have > been found dead from the > spill and that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service > crews have pulled three > swans and four ducks from the water, all still > alive. > > Carol Lehman, who lives in a subdivision near > where Swanson Creek flows > into the Patuxent River, described the oil as > "thick and viscous and > floating on the surface on the water." > > "If the tide goes out, it stays on the beach," > she said. "Now, it's > breaking up, because the waves are coming in." > > Tyler Bell > mailto:bell@acnatsci.org > California, MD > http://www.audubon.org/listserv/md-smas-general.html > http://www.audubon.org/listserv/nd-birds.html > > ======================================================================To > leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to > listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com > with the following message in line 1: signoff > mdosprey > ====================================================================== ===== **************************************** Charlie Muise, Naturalist Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary Maryland, USA Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, because you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send online invitations with Yahoo! 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