Spill Cleaned Up in San Juan Creek
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Between 50 and 100 gallons of a diesel-type fuel illegally dumped into a storm drain flowed into San Juan Creek on Saturday, some of it emptying into the ocean near Doheny State Beach.
Officials said that the substance posed no threat to humans but that it may have an effect on the creek and its wildlife.
By late afternoon, workers had vacuumed out the contaminated water, which county firefighters had contained earlier in the day with dirt, sandbags and a floating, absorbent spongelike material.
An undetermined amount of the polluted water flowed into the ocean, about one-eighth of a mile from the San Juan Creek drain outlet.
A maintenance crew at Doheny State Beach spotted the discharge about 7 a.m. Saturday.
Officials said they could not determine the origin of the contaminated water, which flowed from an underground storm drain and into the creek.
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