Juneau Ready-Mix; Lemon Creek, Juneau, Alaska

Lemon Creek, Juneau, Alaska | 1988-Feb-29

Initial Notification: On February 28, 1988, a leak developed in an old, 4,000-gallon storage tank owned by Juneau Ready-Mix. The storage tank contained a heavy, thick petroleum product that was used as a source of asphalt. The leak emptied into Lemon Creek, approximately .75 miles from Gastineau Channel between the Juneau airport and the town of Juneau. An estimated 1,200 gallons of the heavy, black oil escaped from the tank and coated sections of the creek bank, extending approximately 1 mile downstream to Gastineau Channel and the Mendenhall wetlands. The leaking tank was plugged and bermed by the evening of February 28. Deflection booms were placed across Lemon Creek to channel the oil into a collection area. Oiling along the creek was described as a "bathtub ring" up to two feet wide. The oil spill produced a heavy oil smell, and oil on the shore was thick and gooey. No oiled birds were observed. USCG district 17.