Officials are now investigating this as an illegal dumping case.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife was notified Friday that a petroleum oil spill had occurred in the state waters of the Smith Canal, according to department officials.
The source of the spill appears to be from an oil burner that had a potential maximum capacity of 380 gallons, though authorities have not specified how much oil has gone into the canal.
A neighbor, who wants to stay anonymous, and lives directly in front of where the spill happened, told KCRA 3 that he witnesses multiple illegal dumpings along the canal on a weekly basis.
“I didn’t think anything of it because they drop so much garbage around here. It’s kind of pointless trying to stop and yell and trying to pick a fight with every single person,” said the neighbor.
The United States Coast Guard is taking the lead in the investigation.
In a statement, they said, “Crews from the Stockton Fire Department and the Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response responded initially and deployed a sorbent boom to minimize environmental impacts. An additional layer of a hard boom was deployed on both sides of the spill site to prevent product from entering into the San Joaquin River.”
KCRA noticed a white tarp over an area near the bank of the canal, where investigators confirmed that the oil container was left. They removed it Sunday afternoon.
“It’s a really sad event that happened for that to end up in the water. Hopefully, it has a good outcome in the end, that is what we’re hoping for,” said the neighbor.
The Coast Guard has also opened the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, established for various issues related to oil spills, including clean-up costs, to pay for the initial response to the Stockton spill and containment and recovery of the oil released into the canal.
The San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services has advised community members living along the banks or near the canal to avoid the area of the spill and stay out of the water. Officials also cautioned pet owners to keep animals out of water and not let them drink from the canal.
Fish and Wildlife are asking the public to not catch and consume any fish or shellfish in the area.
State and federal agencies are still searching for the person who caused the spill.
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