EDMONDS – Oil skimmers were zooming around the waters off Point Wells in Edmonds Tuesday as part of an oil spill response drill.
The site is near where 4,637 gallons of fuel oil spilled into Puget Sound last December.
“It’s just another chance to get their boats on the water and get familiar with their equipment,” said Larry Altose, a state Department of Ecology spokesman.
He said the U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, state Department of Ecology and oil companies participated in the drill.
The Point Wells spill has been cleaned up, but the investigation into the accident is still going on, he said.
“(The drill) went very well. It was good training,” said Marin Streeter, the maintenance manager for Clear Sound Cooperative. Owned by local oil companies, the cooperative has oil skimmers and other equipment used to clean up oil spills in Puget Sound.
“These tests help us work together with these other agencies,” Streeter said.
Altose said a similar training session held days before the Point Wells spill helped streamline the cleanup response. He said there could be penalties when the report comes out on that spill.
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