News moves slowly, Nacimiento gas leak does not
November 18, 2008
It took three days for lake officials to respond to questions about the nine-day-old event.
By DANIEL BLACKBURN
A gasoline leak in Lake Nacimiento marina supply lines spilled an undetermined amount of fuel near lake waters earlier this month before the problem was noticed by park employees.
Following three days of queries by CalCoastNews reporters, Nacimiento Park Manager Tom Shepherd said he was issuing a press release, which he did on Tuesday, to claim, “No fuel was spilled into the lake” in the Nov. 9 incident. He added, “The exact amount of the spill is unknown but is believed to be less than 350 gallons.” The fuel is stored in a 12,000-gallon tank, according to sources who suggested the amount of leaked fuel was much more significant.
Asked if the spill might have been even larger than presently described, Shepherd chuckled and said, “Oh, heavens no.”
To handle the spill, the Monterey County Parks Department has “three earth-moving tractors, six transport trucks, and staff from three lake parks on the scene,” reported the official. “Our top priority is to work with our partners on the state and local level to take immediate action to clean up this spill.”
Shepherd said he has notified the appropriate federal, state, and San Luis Obispo County regulators of the mishap.
Since Monterey County took over management of the lake in Oct. 2007 and granted the operation’s concession to Forever Resorts, more than $80,000 of taxpayers’ money has been spent upgrading the marina’s fuel system.
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