More than 600 barrels of oily water recovered as cleanup efforts continue in Port of Valdez

Oil spill responders on Wednesday continued to remove oily water and excavate soiled snow from a site at the Valdez Marine Terminal after oil leached into Port Valdez from a drain area.

The cause of the spill remains under investigation. About 625 barrels of oily water had been removed from a contained area near a small boat harbor, the incident management team that includes the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation reported on Wednesday afternoon.

The oil leaked from a sump, or drain area, and moved beneath snow before reaching the water, authorities have said. The spill was discovered on Sunday.

More than 180 people are involved in the response.

[Oily water leaks into Port Valdez from pipeline terminal, Alyeska says]

The spill is not related to Valdez Marine Terminal berth loading operations, the incident team said.

The incident team said that engineers, inspectors and operations technicians are working to identify the flow route of the spill.

"Teams are excavating the area around the sump to help identify spill boundaries and potential flow route, " the statement said. “Crews continue to manually collect contaminated snow and ice from the area around the sump.”

Oil had been contained behind a berthing area near the shore, and additional steps were taken Tuesday to prevent further damage, the state reported Tuesday. The oil at that point had been contained to an area of water about 30 feet long by 30 feet wide.

But a helicopter overflight Tuesday evening noted a light sheen outside that boomed area, said Donna Schantz, who is providing oil spill oversight with the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council.

By early Wednesday, the incident team reported that “response teams skimmed the area and an overflight this morning confirmed there is no noticeable sheen outside boomed areas,” the statement said.

On Wednesday afternoon, a 2 p.m. observation flight by helicopter confirmed the spill remains contained within the boom.

The state said early Wednesday it has received a report of one oiled Kittiwake, a coastal bird.

[Editor’s note: This article has been updated with new information on the status of spill response provided by the incident management team.]

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