SEATTLE - The Coast Guard and the Washington State Department of Ecology responded to a minor oil sheen in the Washington Ship Canal today near the Ballard Bridge.
 
At approximately 8 p.m., last night, Coast Guard Sector Seattle received a report of a minor oil sheen in the Lake Washington Ship Canal from an observant citizen.

Investigators from Coast Guard Sector Seattle responded to the sheen at first light this morning.  The size of the sheen was estimated to be about 100-feet to 300-feet in length, but dissipated quickly.

Coast Guard investigators estimated that approximately 5 gallons of waste oil was the source of the sheen.   A small amount of oil-coated rocks and debris was removed to prevent any further release of oil to the water.

The cause of the spill is under investigation.

The Coast Guard received 560 pollution reports in the Puget Sound area in 2004, averaging less than 10 gallons.  Spills of this size usually originate from recreational or fishing vessels.

The fastest way for citizens to report a possible oil spill is to contact the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.  The National Response Center is the sole federal point of contact for reporting oil and chemical spills in the U.S. and its territorial waters.  The National Response Center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Spills in Washington also may be reported to 1-800-OILS-911.

For further information on this case, contact Lt. Christine Fern at 206-217-6148 or for more information on the National Response Center go to http://www.nrc.uscg.mil/nrchp.html.

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