PORT HADLOCK — Navy personnel cleaned up a small oil spill estimated to be about 20 gallons from a ship leaving Naval Magazine Indian Island on Thursday.
The spill was discovered at about 10:30 a.m. Thursday after the USS Gridley left the magazine’s pier and discharged oil into Port Townsend Bay, authorities said.
The cause of the spill remained under investigation late Thursday afternoon.
The spill was discharged from the bilge, with about 100 gallons of oily water coming from the vessel, said Ty Keltner, communications manager for the oil spills program of the state Department of Ecology.
The oil itself was older and already had started to break down, he said, adding that the oil that was not contained within the booms quickly dissipated.
Since the spill was small and quickly addressed, Keltner did not believe there would be any lasting environmental impacts.
The spill had been contained as of 1:15 p.m. Thursday, although recovery efforts were ongoing. About 10 gallons of oil had been recovered from the water as of 4 p.m., and efforts were continuing into the evening, said Julianne Stanford, public affairs officer for Naval Magazine Indian Island, in a press release.
Emergency responders were on scene to assess the situation and work to mitigate potential issues, Stanford said.
Members of a spill response team deployed recovery equipment on the water, including 200 feet of oil spill containment boom, she said.
In addition to Ecology, the Navy notified the Coast Guard about the spill, Stanford said.
