Sandia Creek runs through a good portion of San Diego County (Fallbrook)
as well as Riverside County.
Multiply the chances of this happening again by hundreds (1600 truck trips
per day) if Liberty quarry is approved.
Jerri
PRESS ENTERPRISE October 26, 2012
BY SARAH BURGE sburge@pe.com
DE LUZ: Asphalt tar spill fouls 'pretty special creek'
SARAH BURGE/STAFF PHOTO
A cleanup crew works Wednesday, Oct. 24, to remove asphalt tar that fouled a
stretch of Sandia Creek in the rural De Luz area west of Temecula.
Hundreds of gallons of asphalt tar that spilled from an overturned truck this week in the rural De Luz area west of Temecula flowed into the pristine Sandia Creek and cleanup of the mucky mess is expected to take days, authorities said.
A petroleum scent hung in the air around the creek Wednesday, Oct. 24, as crews in hazmat suits shoveled contaminated soil into buckets and pumped water flowing from upstream around the spill area blocked with containment booms. The asphalt tar - a heavy, sticky petroleum product - coated vegetation and sank to the bottom of the creek.
The California Department of Fish and Game is overseeing the cleanup, which is being performed by a private contractor hired by the asphalt company that caused the spill. A Fish and Game news release described Sandia Creek as one of the last pristine, free-flowing creeks in Southern California.
"This is a pretty special creek for Southern California," said Lt. Michael Horn, the incident commander for Fish and Game. "It has really nice habitat in it and it does maintain a year-round flow."
"This is actually a tributary to the Santa Margarita River, which runs to the Pacific Ocean," Horn said. "But we're a substantial distance from the river."
Horn said about 600 gallons of the tar spilled but it's unclear how much flowed into the creek. Authorities said initially that the spill had been contained to a 300-yard stretch, but Horn said water flowing through the site had spread some of the oily substance farther downstream. Biologists are investigating possible effects on wildlife, he said.
Luckily, Horn said, the creek flow has been low so the spill has been largely contained.
Crews have not found any sensitive species harmed by the spill, but a tree frog and 16 mosquito fish were found dead, officials said.
Janna Rinderneck and Daniel Orr, environmental scientists with the Department of Fish and Game, said the creek is home to species of concern such as the coastal range newt and the arroyo chub. It also lies within the range of the arroyo toad, a federally listed endangered species, Orr said.
The spill happened about 12:30 p.m. Monday when a truck overturned along De Luz Road near Sandia Creek, said California Highway Patrol Officer Nathan Baer. The driver took a turn too fast, Baer said, and the load of water, sand and asphalt tar oil in the truck shifted.
The asphalt tar flowed out of the tanker, along the roadside and into the creek several yards away.
"It just got worse and worse," Baer said.
The name of the driver and the asphalt company were not available Wednesday, Baer said.
A petroleum scent hung in the air around the creek Wednesday, Oct. 24, as crews in hazmat suits shoveled contaminated soil into buckets and pumped water flowing from upstream around the spill area blocked with containment booms. The asphalt tar - a heavy, sticky petroleum product - coated vegetation and sank to the bottom of the creek.
The California Department of Fish and Game is overseeing the cleanup, which is being performed by a private contractor hired by the asphalt company that caused the spill. A Fish and Game news release described Sandia Creek as one of the last pristine, free-flowing creeks in Southern California.
"This is a pretty special creek for Southern California," said Lt. Michael Horn, the incident commander for Fish and Game. "It has really nice habitat in it and it does maintain a year-round flow."
"This is actually a tributary to the Santa Margarita River, which runs to the Pacific Ocean," Horn said. "But we're a substantial distance from the river."
Horn said about 600 gallons of the tar spilled but it's unclear how much flowed into the creek. Authorities said initially that the spill had been contained to a 300-yard stretch, but Horn said water flowing through the site had spread some of the oily substance farther downstream. Biologists are investigating possible effects on wildlife, he said.
Luckily, Horn said, the creek flow has been low so the spill has been largely contained.
Crews have not found any sensitive species harmed by the spill, but a tree frog and 16 mosquito fish were found dead, officials said.
Janna Rinderneck and Daniel Orr, environmental scientists with the Department of Fish and Game, said the creek is home to species of concern such as the coastal range newt and the arroyo chub. It also lies within the range of the arroyo toad, a federally listed endangered species, Orr said.
The spill happened about 12:30 p.m. Monday when a truck overturned along De Luz Road near Sandia Creek, said California Highway Patrol Officer Nathan Baer. The driver took a turn too fast, Baer said, and the load of water, sand and asphalt tar oil in the truck shifted.
The asphalt tar flowed out of the tanker, along the roadside and into the creek several yards away.
"It just got worse and worse," Baer said.
The name of the driver and the asphalt company were not available Wednesday, Baer said.
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