Clean-up efforts will resume Friday morning after crews paused late Thursday following a diesel spill into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. City and state officials said that 18,000 gallons of oil and water had been sucked out of the waterway 26 hours after the spill.
Fire Chief James Wallace praised the crew’s efforts, noting remarkable strides had been made in a short amount of time.
“Last night, it was worse,” Wallace said. “[The water] was like wine. Now, it’s returning to its normal color. Instead of seeing red throughout, you see small streaks here and there. That's indicative that we've been able to isolate the product, and remove it from the surface.”
Wallace didn’t give a firm timeline for when the cleanup will be finished. He said it could take up to three weeks, stressing that weather and other factors make it hard to predict.
“There's also oil underground,” he said. “It's attached to the side walls. Until it's pushed out, it would be unfair to put a timeline.”
Wildlife response teams were also active Thursday.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz said 25 birds and three turtles were rescued and taken to Tri-State Bird Rescue. Goslings could be heard squawking as crews toiled in the heat, suctioning rainbow-colored sheen from the water.
Kurtz said biologists are monitoring the health of the animals. Turtle Island, located nearby, is home to a recovering wildlife population.
“We saw normal activity from the two sliders and a snapping turtle we rescued,” said Kurtz.
“The good thing about turtles is they can sense changes in the environment. They will move away from poor water quality. They were in very good health even though they can get trapped under oil. We do not have concerns for the turtle population.”
As crews work to vacuum more fuel from the waterway, officials warned residents to avoid the area.
“There’s not an air quality issue, but there is an odor issue,” said Maryland Environmental Secretary Serena McIlwain. “Depending on your health, that strong smell could be a concern.”
In a statement, Gov. Wes Moore urged the public to steer clear of Harbor East to help crews continue their work without disruption.
HOW DID IT START?
According to the timeline released by the governor’s office, a 911 call directed emergency services to a fuel spill at a marina in Harbor East. It triggered a multi-agency response involving the U.S. Coast Guard, the State of Maryland, and the City of Baltimore.
Hours later, officials traced the source to 1780 E. Fayette St., a Johns Hopkins Hospital facility roughly 1.3 miles from the harbor.
In a statement, a Johns Hopkins spokesperson said a third-party vendor was delivering diesel to two backup generator tanks when the system was overfilled, causing the spill.
Liz Vandendriessche, the Johns Hopkins spokesperson, added the hospital is working with various agencies to support cleanup efforts.
“This is our home, and we are fully committed to funding the cleanup and remediation efforts in the Inner Harbor including any impacts to local wildlife,” said Vandendriessche. “While we are concentrating on the cleanup effort, we are also closely reviewing the situation to understand what happened.”
Cleanup crews are expected to remain on-site through the weekend, as Johns Hopkins and state officials continue to assess the full impact.
