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BALTIMORE— The Coast Guard is assisting in the clean-up of a red-dyed fuel spill Monday in the Inner Harbor, Baltimore, in the vicinity of Jones Falls Outlet.
A National Response Center coordinator notified Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capital Region of the incident at about 5 a.m. Monday and said that local environmental specialists deployed a containment boom to contain the material.
Coast Guard pollution responders deployed to the Inner Harbor to initiate clean-up activities and mitigate environmental impact.
“The Coast Guard is thankful for the excellent coordination with our local and federal partners so we could quickly get on scene to efficiently start the pollution clean-up process,” said Petty Officer First Class Andrew Walters, a Marine Science Technician from Coast Guard Sector Maryland-NCR and the representative for the federal on-scene coordinator for this response. “Our priority is keeping the waterway and marine environment clean while ensuring the safety of the public.”
It was also reported that an estimated 500-foot rainbow sheen is observed outside of the boom but is expected to dissipate. The spilled amount and source of the material is unknown.
The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which provides an immediate source of federal funding to clean-up oil spills in a timely manner has been opened for the amount of $40,000.
The National Response Center is the designated federal point of contact for reporting all oil, chemical, radiological, biological and etiological discharges into the environment, anywhere in the United States and its territories.