Fuel Spill Shuts Down Newport Bay Beaches

Authorities shut down a handful of beaches in Newport Bay on Saturday afternoon and launched an investigation after discovering a fuel leak that spread diesel over the water.

The fuel spill stretched more than a mile along the bay from the Rhine Channel to the Castaways, though the heaviest concentrations were found around Lido Island, Newport Beach Lifeguard Lt. Eric Bauer said.

As of Saturday evening, federal investigators had not determined the source of the spill, how much diesel it involved or what environmental damage it might cause. But local officials said there is probably a simple explanation.

“It most likely came from a boat,” Bauer said. “Usually these things disperse pretty quickly.”

At 5 p.m., Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol deputies and Newport Beach lifeguards received dozens of calls from people noticing a strong smell of diesel coming from around the island, Bauer said.

The Newport Beach Fire and Marine Department sent out a hazardous materials team to inspect the water, and Newport Beach police dispatched a department helicopter. Two Coast Guard officials also arrived at the site to examine the source of the spill.

After the discovery, the Lido Island Yacht Club and the Balboa Bay Club closed their beaches to swimmers, while local and county officials shut down other popular beaches on and near Lido Island, Bauer said.

Such leaks in the bay occur a couple of times a year, Bauer said, but few are as heavy as Saturday’s spill. Spills have become less frequent since authorities began cracking down on leaks by levying fines against those responsible for large fuel spills, Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol Sgt. Frank Sheets said.

“It used to happen quite a bit,” Sheets said. “This is so big that this is something that someone must have noticed [fuel leaking].”

Saturday’s spill follows Monday’s gas leak from an unknown source that left silver-colored patches throughout Newport Harbor.