Mystery Spill4; Pickworth Dock, Anchorage, Alaska

Pickworth Dock, Anchorage, Alaska | 1988-Jun-22

Initial Notification: On June 22, 1988, oil spill was observed in the water around the Pickworth Dock at the city dock complex. The U.S. Coast Guard was unable to locate a responsible party, and estimated that 200-300 gallons of a refined product (diesel or kerosene) was in the water. Since a small, roughly 50-gallon pool of the product was isolated and confined, the Coast Guard sought to use this as a spill-of-opportunity to use Elastol, a product that increases the visco-elasticity of oil in order to make it easier to pick up with a skimmer or vacuum truck. USCG district 17.