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Department of Ecology News Release - September 6, 2005
05-227
OLYMPIA - Contractors have raised 17 boats and removed 125 cubic yards of oil-soaked debris since Wednesday's fire at the Harborview Marina in Gig Harbor.
As of this morning, clean-up crews had also recovered more than 1,500 gallons of water contaminated with gasoline, diesel fuel and other oils discharged as a result of Wednesday's early morning fire at the marina. In addition, crews have so far filled two 100-foot barges with debris from the collapsed marina structure as removal of the roof and floats continues.
"We've made good headway, and we'll continue to make good headway," said Petty Officer First Class Matt Valenti of the U.S. Coast Guard. "We've had crews working pretty much around the clock, or at least as much as light and safety has allowed, since Wednesday morning."
To keep the clean-up on a fast track, contractors worked with the Coast Guard, the state Department of Ecology and local officials through the weekend and Labor Day holiday.
"Less and less pollution is being released into the waters as we get the boats out, and the harbor is getting cleaner as we're able to remove more and more oil and oiled debris," said Ron Holcomb, state on-scene coordinator for Ecology. "We're still a long way from where we want to be, but we've got lots of folks working hard to get to that point as fast as we can."
Officials estimate it will take about two more weeks to remove the rest of the sunken boats and fuel tanks and complete the clean-up of pollutants from the water. Approximately 48 boats sank or were seriously damaged during Wednesday's fire.
So far the fire and clean-up has involved two oil skimmers, seven spill response vessels, two barges and four additional work boats, two skimmers, 5,300 feet of oil containment boom and one vacuum truck. More than 75 clean-up workers as well as federal, state and local officials have contributed to the vessel recovery and spill clean-up.
"Things are pretty much returning to normal for Gig Harbor," said Pierce County Fire Marshal Dick Bower.
Bower said area parks and docks are open and people are largely free to go as they please. Boats south of the Pleasure Craft marina are free to come and go, he said. Boats on the north side of the Pleasure Craft marina can depart once they are wiped down but must return during daylight hours until the yellow containment boom has been permanently removed, Bower said.
Pierce County fire officials, meanwhile, continue to investigate the cause of the fire in concert with Gig Harbor, Ecology and Coast Guard investigators.
Environmental damage was largely contained Wednesday because the city had recently purchased 600 feet of oil-containment boom to deal with just such a problem. The city purchased the boom earlier this year and received training on the boom from Ecology. When the fire broke out Wednesday, the boom was immediately deployed, confining pollutants to the marina at a time when the outgoing tide could have swept them out to Puget Sound.
Since then, additional containment booms have been deployed to help prevent pollution from reaching three area creeks that Ecology has identified as sensitive areas.
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Contacts: Rick Manugian, public information officer, 253-970-3552
Lt. Cmdr. Rick Rodriguez, U.S. Coast Guard, 206-510-7836
Penny Hulse, Gig Harbor Fire District prevention division chief, 253-265-6087
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
