Fake Oil Spill to Test Response
In the wake of the Long Beach oil spill, Coast Guard officials have decided to stage a 5-hour drill Thursday in San Diego waters to test the local response to a similar event.
For the drill, scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. near the entrance to San Diego Bay, the Coast Guard will team with the Navy and an industry-supported spill clean-up group called Clean Coastal Waters. The groups will deploy oil containment booms and skimming equipment in response to a simulated spill of fuel oil spewing from an imaginary boat grounded near the Zuniga jetty.
Officials will evaluate the groups’ response, how effectively they communicate with one another, and how efficiently they use the equipment.
“We will test the people and the equipment to see how well the response community will be able to work in case there were a spill here,” said Coast Guard Lt. Stephen LaLonde.
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