Update as of November 26, 2009  

Fishing Closures Lifted for Most of Alameda Shoreline
Only One Beach
Remains Closed to Harvesting

Contact: Kirsten Macintyre, Department of Fish and Game, 916-804-1714
Sam
Delson, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, 916-764-0955

State officials today lifted fishing and shellfish harvesting closures for
most of Alameda County’s shoreline. The only restrictions remain at Crown
Memorial State Beach, where mussel and shellfish harvesting remain closed. 

The closures were imposed on Oct. 30, the same day as the Dubai Star oil
spill on San Francisco Bay. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG), in
consultation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA),
re-opened all but one of the closed areas after testing found no ongoing risk of
adverse health effects from the oil spill.

With the exception of Crown Memorial State Beach, today’s decision reopens
fishing and shellfish take on the Alameda County shoreline along San Francisco
Bay from Alameda Point (at the northwest corner of Alameda Naval Air station) to
the southern boundary of the Oakland airport. 

Tests done following the oil spill found that mussels at Ballena Bay Marina
were unfit for consumption due to another source of contamination unrelated to
the Dubai Star oil spill. The public is therefore advised to avoid harvesting
and consuming mussels from the bayside shoreline on the west and south sides of
Ballena Boulevard until further notice. OEHHA is coordinating with other public
health officials to conduct further investigations at this location.

OEHHA is the science arm of the California Environmental Protection Agency
and works with DFG and other agencies to conduct seafood safety evaluations.  

Update as of  November 23, 2009     

Contact: Shelly Lewis, East Bay Regional Park District Public Affairs,
510-862-9494 or slewis@ebparks.org

Monday, November 23, 2009 - 2:30 pm
From Mark Ragatz, Shoreline Parks Unit
Manager

Matt Graul and I just returned from a beach inspection of the closed section
of Crown Beach and we found very few tar balls over the 1.5 mile length of the
beach from Grand to Westline.  We were accompanied on the inspection by
representatives from Fish & Game OSPR, the US Coast Guard, and the RP.  We
found that the areas where there had been tar balls last week that were both
significant in number and size, are much cleaner and the risk to beachgoers of
getting oil on their feet has decreased significantly.  In addition, the ponds
left at low tide no longer show any significant sheen.

The cleanup crews that visited the park on Friday and Saturday, after the
storm event, found over 9 lbs. of sand covered tar balls.  The same crews found
over 25 lbs the previous weekend, and this morning we found less than ½ lb. in
the 1.5 mile stretch of beach.  The cleanup crews will continue to clean the
beach as it is now in a Monitoring and Maintenance phase.  Crews will be at the
park Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and then again on Saturday.  We will meet
again with the SCAT and UC representatives next Monday to discuss the continuing
cleanup.

Park crews will replace the Beach Closure signs with the Tar Ball
Informational signs and will remove the yellow caution tape this afternoon.  

Update as of  November 18, 2009   

Contact: Shelly Lewis, East Bay Regional Park District Public Affairs,
510-862-9494 or slewis@ebparks.org

Wednesday, November 18, 2009 - 1:30 pm
From Mark Ragatz, Shoreline
Parks Unit Manager

An Update the status of the beach at Crown Beach:

The closure remains the same, from the corner at the windsurf concession to
and including Elsie Roemer Wildlife Sanctuary.  The fishing ban established by
Fish & Game is still in place.  That ban is from the north end of Alameda
Point to the south end of Harbor Bay Isle, not including San Leandro Bay.

An inspection walk was conducted of the closed section of the beach
yesterday afternoon with representatives of Alameda County Environmental Health
Dept., Fish & Game OSPR, and the cleanup management contractor for the
Responsible Party (RP), and found substantial areas where there were still many
medium (quarter to ½ dollar size) to large (pancake size) tar patties.  The
cleanup crews will continue to clean the beach this week and through the weekend
on a regular basis.

On the positive side, the quantity of oil being found had decreased
from 20 lbs. last Friday to 2.5 lbs. on Monday.  
Another inspection walk
will be conducted later this week to see and reassess the beach status before
the weekend.

Update as of  November 13, 2009

Friday, November, 13, 2009 - 8:30 pm

News Release - Immediate

Park District to Re-Open Portion of Crown Beach in Alameda on November 14,
2009

The East Bay Regional Park District will reopen a portion of Robert Crown
Memorial State Beach in Alameda on Saturday, November 14. The entire one mile
beach was closed on October 30 after an oil spill in the San Francisco Bay. The
portion of beach that will reopen is the northern section from Crab Cove Visitor
Center located on McKay Street to Boardsports Windsurf concession at Westline
Drive. The southern portion of the beach (almost the entire Shoreline Drive
area) from Westline to the Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary will remain closed for
further observation and continued clean up.

Park staff assessed the area with a SCAT (Shoreline Cleanup Assessment
Technique) team on Friday, November 13. Following the oil spill incident tar
balls have been appearing daily on the beach, however, clean-up crews have been
on site the entire time and clean-up is nearing completion. The team determined
that the northern section of the beach could be open, however advise the public
to visit with caution as tarballs may continue to appear for some months. Tar
ball advisory signs will be posted adjacent to handwashing stations  which will
be placed at strategic access points to the reopened portion of the beach.

OEHHA, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, advises if you
get oil or tar on your skin, wash it off with soap and water, and be certain to
wash your hands before eating. If you get oil on your clothing, wash it in the
usual way. There is no need to use harsh detergents, solvents or other chemicals
to wash oil from skin or clothing.

Maintenance and monitoring crews will sweep this portion of the beach daily
to clean any oil that may strand.  A tentative meeting to reevaluate the closed
portion of beach will occur on Wednesday, November 18 at 1:00 pm.

Oiled birds should be reported to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at
877-823-6926. 

Crown staff will reopen a portion of the beach, from Crab Cove to the
Windsurf Concession tomorrow, Saturday, 11/14. Tar ball advisory signs will be
posted adjacent to handwashing stations (provided by the RP) which will be
placed at strategic access points to the reopened portion of the beach. IC
Maintenance and Monitoring crews will sweep this portion of the beach daily to
clean any oil that may strand.

Crown Beach from the Windsurf concession to Elsie Roemer sanctuary will
remain closed as tarballs and oil is still showing up at a frequency that would
be problematic. IC Maintenance and Monitoring crews will do daily sweeps of this
portion of the beach to clean oil/tarballs as well.

A tentative meeting with SCAT to reevaluate the closed portion of Crown will
occur at Crab Cove on Wednesday, 11/18 at 1:00 pm.

Update as of  November 10, 2009

> Official EBRPD
News Release

Oiled birds or wildlife: 877-823-6926

Due to an oil spill on Friday, October 30, 2009, tarballs are still appearing
on the southern section of Crown Memorial State Beach in Alameda and daily
clean-up continues. The beach is closed for the safety of the public, but most
importantly to give oiled birds and marine life a place to rest. The public is
asked to please stay off the beach. Clean-up crews are on-site and likely will
be working throughout the week or longer. The Oiled Wildlife Care Network has
several teams working to rescue oiled birds and wildlife. No public or volunteer
assistance is needed, and OWCN asks that the public refrain from entering the
area as this activity severely stresses the wildlife. Oiled wildlife should be
reported to 877-823-6926.

Shoreline cleanup activities will continue until Unified Command members
agree that local, state, and federal cleanup standards have been met. Wildlife
recovery efforts are still active with several Park District closures (see
below).

Regional Parks shorelines closed to public access:

• The shoreline at Crown Memorial State Beach (park remains open)
• The boat launches at Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline (park remains
  open)

Regional Parks reopened on November 6, 2009

• The shoreline at Middle Harbor
• Encinal Beach at Alameda Point

Fishing is prohibited in the area from Alameda Point at the northwest end of
Alameda Island to the southern point of Bay Farm Isle (Oakland Airport).

Dubai Star Incident Public
Information Web site

Oiled birds or wildlife: 877-823-6926

Fishing and Oil Safety tips From OEHHA

Alameda, Calif. – The closure of the fishing and shellfish harvesting in
oil affected areas will continue until the Office of Environmental Health Hazard
Assessment (OEHHA) and Department of Fish and Game (DFG) determine it safe to
reopen.

Closure areas include the Alameda County shoreline from Alameda
Point at the northwest end of Alameda Island to the southern point of Bay Farm
Isle (Oakland Airport).

"Protecting the public's health is our top priority," said OEHHA
Director Joan Denton. "It's a good idea to avoid any fish from the spill area
until further notice."

OEHHA is the science arm of the California Environmental Protection
Agency and is working with DFG, the Department of Public Health and other
agencies to assess impacts of the oil spill on the fisheries.

OEHHA's safety guidelines call for avoiding consumption of any fish
or shellfish from the spill area until analysis of the collected samples is
completed. Visible oil or oily smell are obvious indications of contamination,
but fish and shellfish from the spill area could still pose a potential risk
even if there are no visible signs of contamination.

Fish and shellfish caught from waters outside the spill area remain
as safe to eat as before the spill, but marine life from the spill area should
be avoided until the evaluation of its safety is completed. In addition, health
officials are asking people to stay away from shore areas until cleanup efforts
are completed.

OEHHA has issued the following safety advice for beaches in the
spill area: Avoid direct contact with spilled oil, which can cause skin
irritation. Prolonged contact can cause rashes. If you get oil or tar on your
skin, wash it off with soap and water, and be certain to wash your hands before
eating.

If you get oil on your clothing, wash it in the usual way. There is
no need to use harsh detergents, solvents or other chemicals to wash oil from
skin or clothing.

Do not burn driftwood or other debris that may be contaminated with
oil. Use common sense. Do not swim in water with an oil slick and do not swallow
water from the area. Oil-contaminated water can cause choking and lead to severe
pneumonia if it gets into the lungs.

There is no risk of adverse health effects from
breathing air near spilled oil unless there is prolonged exposure to fumes.

Contact: Shelly Lewis, East Bay Regional Park District Public Affairs,
510-862-9494 or slewis@ebparks.org