Lake Union oil spill
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard) are responding to an oil spill at the north end of Lake Union in Seattle. State and federal authorities have already sent investigators and responders to the spill area to determine the source, type, and location of the spilled oil as well as to clarify potential clean up strategies.
Summary information
North end of Lake Union, Seattle, WA
Status updates
September 15, 2006
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard) are responding to an oil spill at the north end of Lake Union in Seattle.
The spill was reported to Ecology and the Coast Guard at about 8:19 a.m. by a citizen phone call. State and federal authorities have already sent investigators and responders to the spill area to determine the source, type, and location of the spilled oil as well as to clarify potential clean up strategies.
Ecology and Coast Guard inspectors, working onshore, and a Coast Guard helicopter, have located a sheen of oil in the North Lake Shipyard, along the northern shore of Lake Union, west of Gas Works Park. The coating of oil is so thin that its is not possible to remove it from the water. The amount spilled and the precise size of the area affected by the spill are being determined.
Investigators are checking the area to determine the source of the spill.