San Francisco oil spill larger than thought

By Adam Tanner

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Many beaches in the San Francisco area remained closed on Thursday as officials tried to clean up 58,000 gallons of fuel that spilled into the West Coast city's famous bay the day before.

"This is a major spill," said Wil Bruhns, a division chief at the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. "It certainly has the potential to cause damage to birds, fish and other wildlife."

The Cosco Busan struck a tower of the Bay Bridge on Wednesday morning in dense fog, creating a long slash along the ship that allowed bunker fuel to spill into the water.

The Coast Guard initially called the spill minor but later realized the amount of fuel was greater than first thought. Environmentalists criticized the Coast Guard for not notifying other agencies fast enough and for being slow to put inflatable booms on the water's surface to prevent oil from spreading.

"The booms were not put in place quickly enough," said Sejal Choksi, director of programs for the environmental group Baykeeper. "We're looking at a pretty messy situation."

Bud Leland, deputy director of California's Office of Spill Prevention and Response, told Reuters the spill was the worst in the San Francisco Bay since his office came into existence in 1991. He said it would likely take several weeks to complete the cleanup effort.

Tides carried the bunker fuel towards the Pacific Ocean under the Golden Gate Bridge and people near the spill on Wednesday reported headaches and nausea. The spill reached the famed former prison island of Alcatraz and as far north as Marin County, environmentalists said.

HUNDREDS AT WORK CLEANING