The U.S. Coast Guard and Washington Ecological Service pollution responders are investigating a diesel runoff that occurred in Salmon Bay on the Lake Washington Canal on Thursday morning.
Steve Stromeyer, a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard, said the spill was reported between 7am and 8am when members of the Army Corps of Engineers at Ballard Rock smelled diesel and began to see the water’s glossy.
Strohmaier said Thursday afternoon that authorities still don’t know the source of the spill, but it appears to be a continuous spill or a massive spill that requires closing the waterway. The spill appears to be “a major concern about marine life and the environment,” he said.
“It’s one thing, it seems like a type of situation,” Strohier said.
Authorities were monitoring the situation and placed absorbent pads to collect some of the diesel, he said. Authorities are also sampling water in nearby areas. Some of the sheen was gone in the rain, he said.
The spill occurred at the northern end of Salmon Bay, near the pier between Ballard Rock and Ballard Bridge. He said Leary Avenue Northwest is close to where Northwest Market Street intersects. There are several fishing boats in the area, which tend to refuel at the location, Stromeyer said.
