Abandoned barge at Women’s Bay is leaking fuel-water mixture, CG is responding with clean-up

 

Clean up has started on an oil spill from a barge beached and abandoned several years ago in Women’s Bay.

Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist Nate Littlejohn said that while any spill of any size is unacceptable, the diesel-water mixture leaking from the barge has been minor so far.

 

“The Coast Guard is working with contractors to mitigate the potential pollution threat posed by an abandoned barge on the shoreline of Women’s Bay on Kodiak Island. The Coast Guard verified an approximate 300-yard-long, one-yard-wide patchy, rainbow colored sheen coming from the vicinity of the barge that has been grounded on the shoreline of the southeast corner of Women’s Bay for several years now.”

Littlejohn says the Coast Guard’s Marine Safety Detachment Kodiak received the initial report of a sheen coming from the barge on Thursday and after verifying the spill, contractors were set up on scene and pumping the fuel-water mixture on Saturday morning.

 

“It should be noted, in this instance, that the sheening so far is relatively light and that it seems to be discharging intermittently at a slow rate.”

The clean-up contractor was able to pump out 440 gallons of the mixture on Saturday, 390 gallons on Sunday, and was still cleaning as of Monday. Littlejohn said the total amount of possible fuel-water contained in the barge is unknown.

Also not known is who owns the abandoned barge.