Friday, November 09, 2007

San Francisco’s Bay Bridge Oil Spill

A couple of days ago a ship hit the Bay Bridge just outside of San Francisco and ruptured its hull. I was not aware at the time it but it leaked out 58,000 gallons of oil into the bay which has led Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency in the area to get it cleaned up.

San Francisco is one of my favorite places and I'll always remember it for all the sea birds, seals, sea lions, otters, and various creatures that make the situation that much more horrible to comprehend.

Although the San Francisco’s Bay Bridge Oil Spill remains largely inside the bay, tidal action and winds have spread the spill outside the Golden Gate and up the Marin County coastline, as far as Muir Beach.

Wildlife authorities said the number of birds caught in the sticky spill continues to climb, with 73 taken in for treatment and 19 found dead. Those numbers, authorities say, are likely to grow into the hundreds over the coming days. Scores of wildlife experts and volunteers are combing the shorelines for oil-blackened birds.

NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration is providing trajectory predictions to the Unified Command, which is led by the U.S. Coast Guard and includes NOAA, along with the U.S. Department of Interior and the State of California's Fish and Game Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response.

There are several methods the oil spill response teams can use to clean up, it all depends on the type of oil, the weather and the habitat.

Today, they're using skimmers, a device that removes oil from the water's surface. The fuel that spilled into the San Francisco bay today is a nasty oil that breaks down slowly.

Crews also use these flexible floating booms to keep the oil from spreading into certain areas.

More than 200 workers and officials were cleaning up the fuel that leaked after the Cosco Busan container ship hit a base of the Bay Bridge near Treasure Island. The Coast Guard expected the clean-up force to double on Saturday.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've made a poll asking people who should get punished for this disaster. please vote:
http://pollsb.com/polls/poll/3697/what-should-happen-to-the-company-in-charge-of-the-california-oil-spill

Unknown said...

The Captain is responsible for his ship.

If it was being towed by Tugs, it's a bit less clear.

Let the investigation proceed.

Matt Merrifield said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
websanfrancisco said...

Every city has some problems at some point or another. The thing about San Francisco is that, no matter the controversies, it's still one of the most desired places for a vacation.