NEWPORT BEACH : Broken Line Spills Gasoline in Harbor
A ruptured gas line poured about 100 gallons of gasoline into Newport Harbor on Sunday, authorities said.
The 3:30 p.m. incident occurred at the dockside Texaco gas station near the Balboa Island Ferry on the 500 block of East Edgewater Avenue, Newport Beach Fire Battalion Chief Don Jones said.
Firefighters placed a boom around a 100-by-200-foot area in the harbor, Jones said. The ruptured line, equipped with a spill sensor, was shut off automatically, he said.
Jones said the line appeared to be frayed from normal use, but an investigation will be conducted.
“It’s not a real significant fire hazard, but it is an environmental hazard,” Jones said.
Officials from the U.S. Coast Guard, Orange County Environmental Management Agency and California Department of Fish and Game were notified of the spill.
J.T. Fallen, a warden with Fish and Game, said two ducks swam through the spill and were taken to a veterinarian to be cleaned. He said it was impossible to gauge the spill’s long-term effect on the wildlife in the area.
Although he did not expect to issue a fishing advisory, Fallen said the spill had the potential to contaminate mussels and other shell animals and the sea life that feeds on them.
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