Much of the oil that spilled from a barge off Point Wells in Edmonds has concentrated around Port Madison in Kitsap County.
Most of it has washed ashore, which is both bad and good.
The oil has reached sensitive wetlands on the Suquamish Indian Reservation and could damage shellfish, a tribal official said.
“It’s nice to get it out of the water so it’s not all spread around,” said Dick Logan, resource damage assessment coordinator for the state Department of Ecology. “Unfortunately, where it’s concentrated is a very valuable piece of land.”
A barge owned by Foss Maritime spilled 4,800 gallons of No. 6 bunker fuel oil into Puget Sound while the oil was being loaded at the Chevron Texaco terminal just after midnight Tuesday. Another 1,200 gallons that spilled was recovered on the barge’s deck.
On Wednesday, more than 250 people were involved in the cleanup, most of them in the Port Madison area.
Three or four more birds were found either oiled or dead, but officials weren’t sure of their condition or whether the dead ones died as a result of the spill.
The U.S. Coast Guard sent a helicopter at daybreak Wednesday to see where the oil had settled overnight. The search showed little or no sheen on open waters. A light sheen remained in the area where the spill occurred near Edmonds, and response crews were securing an existing oil boom to protect sensitive areas.
The flight also revealed that Whidbey Island had not been affected by the spill.
The Coast Guard said Wednesday that the oil has spread across 105 square miles of water, but the oil no longer appears to be spreading.
The central Puget Sound region contains eelgrass beds, salt marshes and spawning beaches for bait fish. Port Madison is a major herring spawning area, with spawning season due to begin in January.
The area’s shallow bays are home to Dungeness crab and hard-shell clams. Birds in the area include herons and waterfowl, and there are some small seal haul-outs.
Rob Purser, Suquamish tribal fisheries director, said Point Jefferson is the most important subsistence harvesting area for shellfish within tribal lands, and also is used for ceremonial purposes.
Before the spill, Point Jefferson was considered the largest relatively undisturbed coastal wetland of its kind in the state, tribal officials said.
“We’re now trying to evaluate what it might have done to the shellfish,” Logan said, noting that it could take months to make that determination.
“First, we’ll look for outright mortality, then decide how much of the shellfish is not acceptable for human consumption.”
Crews have deployed more than 9,000 feet of boom to contain the oil, and have 11,000 more feet available. There was no clear estimate on how much oil has been recovered, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Keith Alholm said.
The Coast Guard urges people who see oil or oiled animals not to handle them. Instead, people are asked to mark the location and report it by calling 800-22BIRDS.
Reporter Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com
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