Chignik Lake; Alaska Peninsula

Alaska Peninsula | 1998-Sep-24

Initial Notification: During the night of September 23, 1998, there was a shoreside release of diesel into Chignik Lake on the Alaskan Peninsula. Chignik Lake is a freshwater lake that drains into Chignik Lagoon via the Chignik River. The USCG was notifiedof this incident on the afternoon of September 24. No one seemed to know for sure which tank was affected or how big it was or how much diesel was released. Gale force winds up to 45 knots hampered local assessment of the situation, so the USCG launched a helicopter from Kodiak to investigate the situation. Approaching darkness and gale force winds hampered the helicopter, making it unable to land, but it did survey Chignik Lake, Chignik river, and Chignik lagoon. A small area of sheen was located at the mouth of the lake and in the river but none in the lagoon. It was impossible to determine the source point of the diesel or how much had been released. The high winds were rapidly dispersing the remaining sheens, and the USCG decided to close the case. No wildlife appeared to be affected. USCG district 17. Keyword: none.