By Sentinel Staff
The source of an oil spill reported last week remains uncertain, an updated Department of Environmental Conservation report says. But as the investigation continues, the department has amended its earlier remarks about the potential responsible party for the spill, which has entered a Sitka Sound Science Center fish hatchery pond.
The spill was first reported Nov. 18 when oil was seen seeping through a crack in a seawall during scheduled work at the Sitka Sound Science Center.
In its original announcement of the spill investigation, DEC said the Sitka Fine Arts Camp was the “potential responsible party.” The latest DEC release states that “the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, Sitka Sound Science Center, and the State of Alaska are property owners in the area and have been identified as potential responsible parties. The source has not yet been located and the responsible party has not yet been determined.”
In the updated release, DEC said that no additional oil discharge has been located since the initial event.
As of Friday, the spill was not controlled and the oil containment booms will remain in place, the DEC said, adding that the U.S. Coast Guard has requested assistance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
