Fuel spill in the Delta, crews responding

(AP Photo/Russel A. Daniels, File)

Posted: Sep 4, 2023 / 10:47 AM PDT

Updated: Sep 4, 2023 / 10:47 AM PDT

(BCN) — Crews are responding Monday morning to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where a submerged tugboat is leaking diesel fuel and oil. The leaking vessel was reported about 8 a.m. in the Empire Tract area, near Herman and Helen’s Marina, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s spokesperson Deputy Nicholas Goucher said.

The boat is sinking and leaking fuel into the Delta waterway, and the sheriff’s boating safety unit and other crews are coordinating efforts to contain the spill. It’s not yet known how much oil and fuel has spilled into the waterway, Goucher said.

Agencies responding include California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Woodbridge Fire Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard Pollution Response Team.