Oily wastewater cleanup continues in Hood Canal

Cleanup is continuing on Hood Canal after almost 12,000 gallons of oily wastewater leaked from a pipe at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor.

The 11,890 gallons is estimated to contain 595 gallons of petroleum product, per a Navy news release. About 9,800 feet of containment boom has been deployed, and two specialized vessels – skimmers – are collecting remaining product found on the water. Crews continue to work on shorelines, though the amount of sheen in some areas is too thin to be recovered.

For safety reasons, boaters and nearby residents are asked to remain out of the area. The exact cause of the pipe failure is under investigation. There is not yet an estimate for when response efforts will be completed.

At approximately 2 p.m. March 13 Navy personnel identified a sheen on the water at the Bangor waterfron. Navy spill response personnel and equipment were immediately deployed to isolate, contain and recover the product onshore and in the water. The source of the leak was a failed discharge pipe that runs along the causeway of a Navy pier above water. The discharge pipe, used to transport oily water off vessels, was secured by the afternoon of March 14.

There are no indicators of impacts to wildlife, but response personnel continue to monitor the situation. The U.S. Coast Guard, state Department of Ecology, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe and Navy are operating under a Unified Command to continue the cleanup and monitoring.