Contractors continued operations to assess and remove pollutants from American Challenger, the 90-foot vessel that grounded on rocks in Marin County on March 5. This week, divers evaluated application of external temporary patches. They are also using a sonar scanner to help evaluate the condition of the steel hull. Additional pollutants and hazardous materials such as batteries, fire extinguishers, and hydraulic fluid continued to be collected from the vessel. To assist with monitoring efforts, crews have installed a new camera system on the inside of the vessel. Heavy coastal fog continued to create operational delays throughout the week. Weather permitting, crews plan to continue assessment efforts. A helicopter continues to be utilized for assessment and surveying operations. (Photos courtesy Ballard Marine Inc.) 
A Unified Command is overseeing the response and cleanup efforts of a red dye fuel additive discharge that occurred in Richmond, Contra Costa County in early April. The additive product was observed to be discharging from a storm drain that emptied into the Parr Canal of the San Francisco Bay. Response efforts led to emergency source controls and the deployment of containment boom into the Parr Canal. Spill Response efforts successfully stopped the product from continuing to enter the waters of the San Francisco Bay. Preventative containment boom remains deployed in the Parr Canal as a precaution to safeguard the environment during the ongoing response. An ongoing investigation into the incident has led spill responders to a nearby storage terminal facility operated by TransMontaigne Operating Company. TransMontaigne together with OSPR and the U.S. Coast Guard (@uscgpacarea) have established a unified command to address the ongoing spill response for this incident. 
An OSPR scientist surveyed the shoreline again near where sheen was reported in Pacific Grove Thursday. She did not observe any oiled #wildlife or sheen on water. 
The Port of Stockton received its new oil spill response equipment trailer through OSPR’s grant program. Staff from the port received training on how to use the equipment by @globaldiving. There are now more than 60 of these trailers staged up and down the state. They provide for a rapid response to spills before cleanup contractors reach the scene. @theportofstockton #oilspillresponse #oilspillresponseequipment #oilspillresponsetraining 
Crews have completed assessment efforts for the four remaining petroleum tanks aboard American Challenger. Approximately 650 gallons of oil/water mix was recovered from one of the tanks, along with approximately 7 cubic yards of petroleum-contaminated debris and other miscellaneous hazardous materials. The vessel’s tow line was also removed from the water. Access to pollutants in the engine room remain a challenge, based on the vessel’s disposition and variable weather and tides. Crews deployed absorbent pads within, but accessible oil and hazardous materials will continue to be addressed as operations progress. Periodic oil sheens have been observed in the immediate vicinity of the vessel. Deployment of boom or other preventive measures were determined not to be effective due to the low quantity of product and challenging sea conditions. Efforts are underway to contain the petroleum and determine its source location and develop a long-term mitigation plan. Additional environmental support has been integrated into the response to monitor potential impacts to wildlife, although there have been no reports of oiled wildlife since the incident took place on March 5. 
OSPR crew responded to overturned tanker truck that discharged as much as 2,000 gallons of diesel yesterday, some of which entered the Los Angeles Harbor. Containment and cleanup ongoing. Boom deployed at harbor outflow. No oiled #wildlife observed. 
The Unified Command has approved a plan to continue pollution assessments of American Challenger, based on preliminary findings from an accelerometer installed on the vessel April 14. The device has provided data that has led marine engineers and the Unified Command to conclude that the vessel is stable enough to be boarded via helicopter drop-in to survey the 4 remaining petroleum tanks. The boarding operation is tentatively scheduled for April 26, and will proceed if additional safety analysis supports the plan. Operations will also be dependent on weather and tides, and once initiated will likely last 3 to 4 days. Marin County emergency crews will be on standby and oil spill response equipment has been pre-staged to respond to any unexpected releases. To date, there have been no reports of oiled or injured wildlife due to this incident. (This photo from April 14 shows Sonoma County Sheriff’s Henry 1 helicopter being used to lower marine salvage contractors onto the vessel to install the accelerometer. A helicopter will also be used for next week’s planned operations, as it’s the only safe way for crews to access American Challenger). 
On this Earth Day, OSPR recalls the massive 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara that led to the April 22 proclamation. On January 28, 1969, as much as 4.2 million gallons were discharged in the blowout of Union Oil’s Platform A, fouling shorelines in multiple counties and impacting the Channel Islands. An estimated 3,500 seabirds were killed by the spill, along with thousands of marine mammals including dolphins, seals and sea lions. This black and white photo shows the blowout occurring and the massive crude oil plume that surrounds the platform. As devastating as the incident was, there proved to be a silver lining, as President Nixon signed the Environmental Policy Act that established the U.S. EPA. Also formed as result of the spill was the California Coastal Commission (@coastalcommission), and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). United States Senator Gaylord Nelson is said to have proposed the commemoration of #EarthDay upon seeing the devastation of the 1969 spill firsthand in a flyover. Earth Day is now coordinated globally with more than a billion participants. 
OSPR crew has been on-scene of a boat fire that resulted in spilled diesel into the San Diego Bay at Shelter Island. The 48-foot cabin cruiser caught fire early this morning and released an unknown amount of the estimated 400 gallons onboard. The sheen was contained and no oiled #wildlife has been observed. Salvage crews are currently dewatering the boat so it can be removed from the the waterway. Cause of fire still under investigation.