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May 6, 2008 12:24 am US/Pacific
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Richmond Chemical Spill Reaches San Pablo Bay
RICHMOND (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
An unknown quantity of a flammable substance that was found spilled in Richmond on Monday afternoon appeared to have made its way into San Pablo Bay, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Authorities briefly issued a shelter-in-place warning to 1,500 homes in the Parchester Village neighborhood of Richmond when the chemical leak occured in the area.
The warning was lifted about 3 p.m. after they determined the chemical, a solvent called toluene, wasn't a danger to residents, said Contra Costa Sheriff's Department spokesman Jimmy Lee.
Authorities first told residents to avoid the outdoors around 2 p.m., after they found that about 3,300 gallons of lliquid toluene had escaped from a company called Reaction Products, when brass fittings were stolen, compromising a half-full 6,000 gallon storage tank over the weekend.
"We evaluated the material that has been released and determined it does not pose a threat to the general public,'' said Contra Costa Health Services hazardous materials specialist Maria Duazo.
It wasn't clear when the leak at 840 Morton Avenue started, but the leaking solvent went into a storm drain and an unknown quantity was able to seep into the surrounding marsh and wash into the Bay, said Lt. Lauren Kolumbic of the Coast Guard.
Clean Harbors, a company that provides hazardous and non-hazardous waste treatment and disposal and recycling, was contracted to help clean the spill, according to Kolumbic.
She said crews worked on marsh cleanup until sundown on Monday evening and planned to resume their efforts early Tuesday morning. Workers had already recovered 3,000 gallons of Toluene and water mixture from the area, officials said.
Kolumbic added that the chemical that had reached the bay was expected to dissapate, and would not affect shipping lanes.
State environmental scientists have been at the scene to assess the potential impact on fish, wildlife and vegetation.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.)