Inland spill team not flush with cash

'We have to triage,' state official says

Michael Gardner
San Diego Union Tribune
04/14/2008

SACRAMENTO – Every time an offshore oil spill threatens California's coast, the Coast Guard immediately mobilizes, state cleanup crews leap into action and legions of volunteers flock to the beach.

But when the state's rivers and streams are in jeopardy from a pipeline rupture, overturned tanker truck or train derailment, the response rarely matches the outpouring of attention given to beaches and seabirds caked in oil.

California's obscure inland spill response program limps along with fewer than a dozen watchdogs responsible for 211,000 miles of rivers and streams, 1.3 million acres of bays and estuaries and 1.6 million acres of lakes.

Every day, they must decide whether there is enough time and money to personally respond to spills that could threaten public health, drinking water and wildlife.

“We have to triage,” said Capt. Paul Hamilton, who oversees the inland program for the state Department of Fish and Game.

That could soon change. Two Democratic lawmakers are pushing legislation before the Assembly Judiciary Committee tomorrow to aid the financially crippled program, including guaranteed revenues to add the program's staff.

“Very minimal – and not sufficient,” Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, said of the state's record of responses to inland threats.

For example, in the first nine months of 2007 the inland program received 1,391 spill reports. State officials physically responded to 160 reports – an 11 percent rate. Many other smaller incidents were turned over to local authorities to contain.

“We hit the biggest ones,” Hamilton said.

There were 523 inland incidents unattended by the state due to “lack of resources,” according to Fish and Game's own analysis. In contrast, the offshore oil spill unit responded to all but 30 of its 764 calls. None of the 30 non-responses was attributed by the marine unit to a “lack of resources.”

In determining their strategy, the six inland division field coordinators stationed up and down the state must quickly assess each spill report to determine whether their immediate response is demanded. Once on site, they help coordinate efforts to contain the pollution, maintain public safety, protect wildlife, direct cleanup and investigate for possible civil or criminal charges.

There is one full-time coordinator assigned to inland waterway spills in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties – combined.

“It gets tough,” said Lt. Bryan Gollhofer, the state spill-response investigator in that five-county region.