Auburn oil spill puts ducks in harm's way
AUBURN, Wash. -- An oil spill at an Auburn stormwater retention pond has put more than a dozen ducks in harm's way.
Located in the middle of a highly commercial area, the pond normally plays home to hundreds of birds and waterfowl.
Mike Peasley said he's seen a dramatic decrease in the number of ducks on the pond in recent days.
The reason for the dwindling numbers is likely due to a sheen of oil on the water that's coated some of the ducks.
Larry Altose of the Department of Ecology said he took samples of the oil and got the test results back on Thursday.
"It's a category of oil that's called lube oil, which includes engine oil, hydraulic oil, mineral oil," he said.
It's unclear just how the oil made it into the pond, but Atlose has a guess.
"I sure hope it wasn't because somebody dumped it, because it's so easy to dispose of oil if you're changing oil or servicing equipment," he said.
It seems about 3-5 gallons of oil was dumped in the pond, and regardless of how it got there, Altose said the property owner is responsible for the cleanup.
The owner in this case is the Auburn Marketplace Association, a conglomerate of the surrounding businesses.
Altose said the association has already hired its own wildlife and cleanup consultants, but he doesn't advise moving the ducks.
"It could be more counterproductive to take them, since the oil is out of the water and the duck may be able to recover by itself," he said.
He said the first priority is to get the oil out of the pond and make sure it doesn't drain out to area creeks, which feed the Green River.
Located in the middle of a highly commercial area, the pond normally plays home to hundreds of birds and waterfowl.
Mike Peasley said he's seen a dramatic decrease in the number of ducks on the pond in recent days.
The reason for the dwindling numbers is likely due to a sheen of oil on the water that's coated some of the ducks.
Larry Altose of the Department of Ecology said he took samples of the oil and got the test results back on Thursday.
"It's a category of oil that's called lube oil, which includes engine oil, hydraulic oil, mineral oil," he said.
It's unclear just how the oil made it into the pond, but Atlose has a guess.
"I sure hope it wasn't because somebody dumped it, because it's so easy to dispose of oil if you're changing oil or servicing equipment," he said.
It seems about 3-5 gallons of oil was dumped in the pond, and regardless of how it got there, Altose said the property owner is responsible for the cleanup.
The owner in this case is the Auburn Marketplace Association, a conglomerate of the surrounding businesses.
Altose said the association has already hired its own wildlife and cleanup consultants, but he doesn't advise moving the ducks.
"It could be more counterproductive to take them, since the oil is out of the water and the duck may be able to recover by itself," he said.
He said the first priority is to get the oil out of the pond and make sure it doesn't drain out to area creeks, which feed the Green River.
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