About 5,000 gallons of olive oil poured into the Baltimore Harbor Monday afternoon, prompting state and federal authorities to launch a cleanup of the gooey mess.
The oil is believed to be from Pompeian Inc., about two miles north of the South Linwood Avenue outfall in Canton where the oil surfaced in the harbor.
“It will take days to clean this out,” Alan Williams, director of emergency operations for the Maryland Department of the Environment, said at the scene.
Most of the oil was contained around the marina and being cleaned up Monday night with absorbent cloths and a vacuum truck.
Some oil was still in the storm drain stretching to Pompeian Inc. on Pulaski Highway, where officials believe the leak began. Crews planned to flush it out of the storm drains, Williams said.
Although olive oil is not toxic, it can suck oxygen out of the water and cause fish kills, Williams said.
“I don’t like the idea of olive oil in the water,” he said.
Officials believe vandals damaged a holding bladder containing the 5,000 gallons of oil, but the investigation is continuing, said Josh Blocker, incident management division chief for the U.S. Coast Guard, who was on the scene for the cleanup.
Pompeian officials on the scene coordinating the cleanup were unable to comment.
The spill will be referred to the MDE compliance officials.
“I’m sure there will be some enforcement action,” Williams said.
Williams also rescued a small duck that had been covered by the oil. The oil takes away the duck’s insulation so it could freeze to death, he said.
