Cleanup is underway for an oil spill at the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center on Near Island. The oil is not threatening any water in the area. The source of the spill is an overfilled fuel tank.
The Kodiak Island Borough’s Engineering and Facilities Department was alerted of the spill on May 16. It’s contained to the gravel area around the Research Center’s fuel tank.
David Conrad is the Borough’s Engineering and Facilities Department director. He said the building’s 3,000 gallon fuel tank was erroneously on Petro Marine’s fill schedule.
“Our tank was already at the level that we normally keep it,” said Conrad. “This was an error, it was nothing intentional, it was not equipment failure.”
The exact volume of fuel spilled is currently unknown, although about 20 cubic yards of oily soil has already been removed from the site, according to Conrad.
Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation was also notified of the incident.
David Zimmerman is Petro Marine’s environmental compliance manager. He said the company has taken responsibility and is fully cooperating with the ongoing cleanup effort.
“We’ve remediated quite a bit of fuel from soil around the tank and we will continue to work with DEC and the Borough to make sure everything is clean to the best of our ability,” said Zimmerman.
Conrad didn’t speculate on a timeline for evaluating and remediating the site. The cost of cleanup has also yet to be determined, although Conrad and Zimmerman anticipate Petro Marine will cover it.