New Details Released: Oil Spill Into San Pablo Bay

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA - An estimated 25 to 50 gallons of oil apparently leaked from a pipeline on Monday, causing a spill into San Pablo Bay near the Phillips 66 refinery, a state Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman said today.

The spill was reported at about 8:15 a.m. Monday just off the coast of 1380 San Pablo Ave. in the unincorporated Contra Costa County community of Rodeo and a 20-by-20-foot sheen was reportedly visible on the bay, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Crews from the Coast Guard and the Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response searched the area but did not find any signs of an oil sheen or visibly oiled wildlife.

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However, a small amount of oil was found to have leaked from a transfer pipeline. The leak was stopped and a subsequent flyover later Monday showed no further signs of an oil sheen on the water, Fish and Wildlife spokesman Steve Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said today that authorities will continue to monitor for any signs of oiled wildlife.

Officials from Phillips 66 were not immediately available to comment on the incident.

The environmental group Center for Biological Diversity issued a statement today about the spill and criticized a proposal being considered by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to allow the oil company to more than double the number of oil tankers allowed to make deliveries at the Rodeo refinery.

"Harmful oil spills are becoming all too common for refineries in the Bay Area," the center's statement said. "Why would the air district allow Phillips 66 to double the number of oil tankers coming into the Bay? The next accident could be bigger and spill dirtier oil, which would spell disaster for our beautiful Bay and the communities around the refinery."

— Bay City News; AP File Photo/Ben Margot

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