Barge Sinks Into Petaluma River, Blocks Much Of Waterway

Petaluma CA

16 November, 2020

3:05 PM

Description

PETALUMA, CA — Officials with multiple agencies responded Sunday when a barge partially sank into the Petaluma River, leaving about three-fourths of the waterway blocked and creating a hazardous materials incident, the Petaluma Fire Department said. The sunken vessel was reported at 10 a.m. Sunday west of U.S. Highway 101 near Heritage Salvage, 1473 Petaluma Blvd. South, according to Petaluma Fire Department Battalion Chief Chad Costa. Fire officials were first on the scene and confirmed the barge was diesel-fueled but that the fuel was removed from the vessel before it sank. "However, there were lubricants and other petroleum products aboard the vessel," Costa said. "The vessel owner and property owner were at scene and had already started working on a plan to recover the vessel." Because there was an unknown amount of hazardous materials on board the barge that could potentially leak into the river, Petaluma fire officials notified several agencies, including the California Office of Emergency Services, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Petaluma Harbor Master and the Petaluma Police Department. Petaluma Fire Department along with the assistance of North Bay Fire deployed rescue boats and containment booms. The booms were placed around the vessel to contain any petroleum leaks and limit the spread. "This will be an extended incident that will involve multiple agencies and a coordinated plan for vessel recovery," Costa said. Authorities were still working to determine what caused the barge to sink. Monday morning, Costa said a small amount of hazardous materials were released and that the booms would stay in place in case anything changed. "Please use caution while navigating this area of the river," Costa said in a news release. "The Petaluma Fire Department wishes to thank our surrounding partners for their assistance at the incident and providing station coverage to ensure the city was protected."