RODEO, Calif. — The unified command established for the San Pablo Bay sheen event continues its joint investigation and response Thursday into the source and cause of the sheen.
A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco completed a flyover of the San Pablo Bay area Thursday morning reporting no visible sheen. No sheen has been observed in the area since Wednesday afternoon.
The unified command consists of the Coast Guard, California Department of Fish & Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response, Contra Costa County’s Hazardous Materials Department and Phillips 66. Personnel from the National Response Center and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District continue their response efforts.
Phillips 66 personnel have temporarily suspended operations at their facility's Rodeo refinery marine dock while inspections and the investigations continue into what caused the sheen.
- The source and volume of the material released are still unknown.
- Containment boom remains in place at the dock.
- There have been no reports of oiled wildlife.
- As part of the ongoing investigation, Phillips 66 is scheduled to conduct testing of dock transfer pipelines Thursday, and inspections of the ship docked at the refinery continue.
- Federal and state agencies continue to investigate a broad range of potential sheen sources including refineries, facilities and vessels.
There have been no injuries associated with the release. The safety of the public, responders and protection of the environment are of utmost importance. These priorities will guide the efforts of the agencies on the response.
The Coast Guard identified a sheen Tuesday just over a mile long by 40 yards wide on the water in the northern San Pablo Bay area. A second sheen was identified Wednesday during a Coast Guard overflight near Phillips 66’s Rodeo refinery marine dock. Several vessels and skimmers conducted containment and cleanup operations and 1,000-feet of boom was placed on the water surrounding the refinery dock. As of Wednesday afternoon, there has been no visible sheen surrounding the dock or in the northern part of the bay.
For media inquiries, please contact the Joint Information Center at 510-245-5920.
Spokespersons from the Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response will be available for interviews at the Phillips 66 facility parking lot at 2:30 p.m.
To report oiled wildlife, please call 877 UCD-OWCN (823-6926).
Previous news releases can be viewed at www.wildlife.ca.gov/ospr/calspillwatch.