Diesel Spill in Aqueduct Said No Threat to Water

The California Department of Water Resources said Wednesday that Southern California’s water supply was not threatened by the “minuscule” amount of diesel fuel that spilled into the California Aqueduct from a truck accident in the northwestern corner of Los Angeles County.

Department spokesman Jerry Reynolds said the amount was so small that the state was not taking any extraordinary measures to deal with it. In cases of large spills, the aqueduct can be shut down and skimmers used to remove oil.

But Reynolds said the small amount of contaminants will be removed by water treatment plants that filter water from the aqueduct before sending it on to consumers. A big-rig truck collided Tuesday night with another vehicle on Highway 138, three miles east of Interstate 5 near Gorman. The truck was not hauling fuel. The diesel leaked from the truck’s own fuel tanks.