California tugboat leaks oil into the San Joaquin Delta
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, Calif. (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - A submerged tugboat is leaking oil into the environmentally sensitive waters of the San Joaquin Delta.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office (SJCSO) got a call early Monday morning.
"Some of these larger vessels, these tugboats, they're older, so a leak like this...it's not an if, but when this can happen," said Heather Brent of SJCSO.
A sunken ship leaking dangerous chemicals into the Delta.
"We pride ourselves on being proactive and trying to watch for things like that," Brent shared.
An accident
The Sheriff's Office say it was simply an accident.
"It definitely wasn't something that was intentional. We have vessels out here that are older and a leak is always a possibility," Brent detailed.
But was this boat part of a worrying trend of other vessels being abandoned in the Delta? Eric Laughlin of the Department of Fish and Wildlife says no.
"This was an old tugboat, a historic tugboat that was being restored and something happened where it took on water and ended up underwater," Laughlin explained.
Creating a plan
As for environmental impact, Mother Nature has been helping out.
"The winds and the tides have been keeping a lot of the sheen we are seeing limited or contained to one area," Laughlin remarked.
This means all that's left is a plan of mitigating damage and removing the boat.
"They're developing a salvage plan right now to get a contractor out there to remove the vessel. Remove the threat. At this point, we're very fortunate that no environmental or plant species have been impacted," Laughlin spoke.
