Foss 153 Diesel Spill Dinan Bay Haida Gwaii - April 23, 2020

Taan Forest Announcements
Written By Ileah Mattice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 23, 2020, 15:00 PST

UNIFIED COMMAND JOINT ADVISORY:
FOSS 153 DIESEL SPILL DIINAN KAHLII DINAN BAY HAIDA GWAII

At Diinan Kahlii Dinan Bay between 01:00 and 05:00 April 22, 2020, a valve feeding diesel to the electrical generator failed on the Toba Barge owned by Taan Forest. Consequently, an estimated 4500 liters of diesel leaked onto the deck of the barge and into the ocean near the dryland sort.

A virtual Unified Command (UC) has been established to oversee the incident. UC includes representatives from HaiCo (Taan Forest), the Council of the Haida Nation, Coast Guard, BC Ministry of Environment. Due to Coronavirus (COVID19), on-Island resources are being utilized on the ground and all meetings are occurring via teleconference.

The spill was near the mouth of Diinan Kahlii Dinan Bay.

  • A National Area Surveillance Program (NASP) overflight reported 1970 liters at 12:30 PDT, April 22nd. Diesel is non-persistent, meaning it dissipates rapidly. The amount on the water was expected to have evaporated by as much as 75% over the last twelve hours.

  • It is estimated that half of the spill has dissipated and evaporated.

  • Yesterday morning booms and sorbent pads were deployed as soon as the spill was discovered. Additional booms, sorbent pads, and personal protective equipment from Coast Guard are being sent by floatplane from the Coast Guard.

  • Local monitoring of the spill location is underway, as well as daily NASP flights.

  • Biologists will be conducting ongoing sampling of water, soil and marine life to assess impacts and target clean-up efforts.

  • Current modeling shows that the full plume is expected to last until approximately Sunday.

All agencies are working closely with Taan Forest to ensure that the spill is addressed as quickly as possible and will continue to work diligently to minimize possible impacts. Work is focused on the clean-up and protection of sensitive areas. Resources are being deployed to monitor and respond to the incident, including great efforts to minimize cultural and environmental impacts. For the protection of public health, environment, and any areas of cultural importance, we would greatly appreciate if people can avoid the area while the crews are working. Members of the public are asked to avoid the area while work continues.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

  • Karen Dean (250) 626-9722

  • Sonia Rice (250) 626-9049

Ileah Mattice
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Foss 153 Diesel Spill Dinan Bay Haida Gwaii - April 24, 2020
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