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Assessments in Progress

• Chevron Castro Cove: This case addresses releases of hydrocarbons and mercury from Chevron's Richmond Oil Refinery into Castro Cove.
  
  

  Deadline: January 9, 2009.
  45-day public comment period for the Draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan to address contamination in San Pablo Bay.
  News Release

• Cosco Busan Oil Spill: This case addresses natural resource injuries resulting from the November 2007 spill of full oil from the cargo vessel Cosco Busan into San Francisco Bay.
• Leviathan Mine Superfund Site: This case addresses decades of releases of acid mine drainage and heavy metals into tributaries of the Carson River in Alpine County, California and Douglas County, Nevada.
• Luckenbach Oil Spill: This case addresses chronic releases of oil from the SS Jacob Luckenbach, a vessel that sank in the Pacific Ocean offshore of San Francisco in 1953.

Restorations in Progress

• Kinder Morgan Suisun Marsh Diesel Spill: This case involves a 2004 diesel pipeline spill in Suisun Marsh. The Service and the California Department of Fish and Game are developing a Restoration Plan to address impacts to marsh habitats.
• Stuyvesant Oil Spill: This case involves a 1999 oil spill in the Pacific Ocean offshore of Humboldt Bay. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Game and other partners are implementing eight restoration projects to benefit birds and shoreline habitats affected by the spill.
• Command Oil Spill: This case involves a 1998 oil spill in the Pacific Ocean offshore of San Mateo County. The Service is partnering with four other agencies to implement 10 restoration projects for seabirds and other resources affected by the spill.
• Kure Oil Spill: This case involves a 1997 oil spill in Humboldt Bay. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Game and other partners are implementing eight restoration projects to benefit birds and shoreline habitats affected by the spill.
• Cape Mohican Oil Spill: This case involves a 1996 oil spill in San Francisco Bay. The Service is partnering with four other agencies to implement 12 restoration projects to benefit birds, fish, and shoreline habitats affected by the spill.
• Almaden Quicksilver Mine: This case involves releases of mercury from a mine in Santa Clara County into tributaries of the Guadalupe River. The responsible parties are implementing five restoration projects to benefit fish and wildlife affected by the mercury releases.
• Iron Mountain Mine: This case addresses decades of releases of acid mine drainage and heavy metals into the Sacramento River near Redding. The Service is partnering with four other agencies to implement three restoration projects to benefit salmon and other resources.
• Romic Chemical Release: This case addresses a 2006 airborne release of organic solvents from Romic's East Palo Alto facility. Restoration projects to benefit salt marsh habitat and environmental education are scheduled to begin in 2009.

Completed Restorations

• Apex Houston Oil Spill: This case involved a 1986 oil spill in the Pacific Ocean offshore of San Francisco. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners restored a common murre colony at Devils Slide Rock and completed other restoration actions for seabirds injured by the spill.
• Shell Martinez Oil Spill: Following this 1988 oil spill at the Shell refinery in Martinez, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies implemented a restoration program to restore fish and wildlife populations and habitats affected by the spill.
• Southern Pacific Cantara Loop Pesticide Spill: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service worked with the California Department of Fish and Game to restore aquatic and riparian resources after this 1991 pesticide spill from a train that derailed along the upper Sacramento River near Dunsmuir.
• United Heckathorn Superfund Site: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and partners restored a 72-acre tidal marsh on San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge to compensate for impacts of pesticide releases from a chemical manufacturing facility in Richmond.

Learn more about Contaminant spill response from the Service's national Environmental Quality web page

NOAA Damage Assessment Center, Southwest Region

California Dept. of Fish & Game OSPR page (Office of Spill Prevention & Response)

Contact Us

Contaminants Division
(916) 414-6590

Cosco Busan Oil Spill

On November 7, 2007 the cargo vessel Cosco Busan hit the San Francisco Bay Bridge in heavy fog. The impact ruptured the hull and spilled about 58,000 gallons of fuel oil.

Staff from the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office and other Service offices assisted with spill response.

Our NRDAR Branch and other trustee agencies. in cooperation with local cities, counties and other organizations, is working to assess the ecological injuries and human use losses caused by the spill.

Through this process, known as natural resource damage assessment, the trustees intend to develop a restoration plan.

Last updated: November 1, 2007

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