Coast Guard, Virginia Beach Fire Department, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality respond to diesel sheen near Rudee Inlet, Va.

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 5th District Mid-Atlantic Contact: 5th District Public Affairs Office: (757) 398-6272 After Hours: (757) 295-8435 5th District online newsroom

Coast Guard, Virginia Beach Fire Department, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality respond to diesel sheen near Rudee Inlet, Va.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Coast Guard, Virginia Beach Fire Department and Virginia Department of Environmental Quality are responding to a diesel sheen in Rudee Inlet, Virginia Beach, Friday.

Coast Guard Sector Virginia watchstanders received an initial report Thursday evening from crews at the VBFD regarding a diesel sheen spotted in the water from an unknown source in the Rudee Inlet vicinity.

Due to the close proximity, hazardous materials crews from the VBFD were immediately dispatched to the scene and conducted initial cleanup efforts with absorbent pads, Thursday night.

Early Friday morning, Sector Virginia sent a pollution response team from Coast Guard Incident Management Division to assess the situation. 

Federal On Scene Coordinator representatives from Sector Virginia opened the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to contract cleanup operations and hire an environmental cleanup crew to mitigate the impact of the diesel to the environment.

“The Coast Guard is deeply committed to protecting the environment and responding to incidents that could negatively impact our local waters,” said Petty Officer Second Class Justin Harris, a marine science technician and Federal On Scene Coordinator representative for Sector Virginia. “The coordinated efforts between the Coast Guard, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the Virginia Beach Fire Department allowed us to take swift action to mitigate any adverse environmental impacts to Rudee Inlet and our local environment.”

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