The State - News from May 2, 1988

The restoration of wetlands and marshes befouled by a more than 200,000-gallon oil spill in the outer reaches of San Francisco Bay could take five years, a noted wildlife biologist and Audubon Society official said. “Picking up the oil off the water is only part of the effort needed,” said Neal Welsh, head of the Mt. Diablo chapter of the Audubon Society, adding the spill was “major” and “potentially devasting.” Of the Coast Guard, which is directing the cleanup of the spill, Welsh said: “I would urge them to work out a more detailed plan for cleaning up the wetlands.” The crude oil leaked from a tank at the Shell refinery in Martinez.