Unknown volume of petroleum product spills at Bangor's shoreline

BANGOR — An unknown amount of a petroleum product was spilled at the shoreline of Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor on Wednesday due to a leak from an underground pipe and the leak was stopped Thursday afternoon, the Navy said.

At approximately 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Naval Base Kitsap personnel identified a spill at the Bangor waterfront and began assessing the site. Additional personnel soon arrived at the scene to identify spill boundaries, Naval Base Kitsap said in a statement released on Thursday.

Petroleum product spill response personnel and equipment were deployed to the scene and started isolating, containing and recovering the product on land and in the water, NBK said on Thursday morning.

The Navy identified the source of the spill on Thursday afternoon, saying that it was a leaking onshore underground pipe. And, the Navy's spill response specialists stopped the leak, the base said on Thursday afternoon.

"The total volume of the product spilled is still being assessed," NBK said. "Response personnel will remain on site to continue containment and recovery effort."

The Navy asked boaters and nearby residents to remain clear of recovery operations for safety reasons.

The spill’s cause will be investigated. Navy personnel are coordinating closely with its interagency and tribal partners, according to the statement.

The Washington Department of Ecology got reports of a possible sheen on Monday and Tuesday, and a confirmed sheen on Wednesday that was reported to the department, Ty Keltner, the Communications Manager at Washington State Department of Ecology told Kitsap Sun Thursday afternoon.

Keltner said the Navy hired a response contractor who worked overnight to clean up affected areas of the shoreline and put boats in the water to find any additional sheen and a possible source.

In February 2014, an estimated 2,000 gallons of oil were spilled from Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor into Hood Canal. The oil spill happened when oily wastewater was pumped from a submarine bilge to a holding tank, and a pump failure kept the wastewater from being transferred uphill to a treatment system, causing an overflow of the holding tank, according to Kitsap Sun archives.

More in 2014:Oil cleanup continues in Hood Canal

More in 2014:No major effects seen from oil spill in Hood Canal

The Kitsap Sun has updated the story to include new information.