Sinking sailboat leaks fuel into Lake Chelan
CHELAN, Wash. — A partially submerged sailboat began leaking fuel into Lake Chelan Tuesday.
Chelan County Sheriff Brian Burnett said in a release the 29 ft sailboat was approximately 60 percent submerged along the south shore of the lake, just down from the 25 Mile Creek dock.
A Spill Response Team from the Department of Energy headed to Chelan from Yakima, while Chelan County Emergency Management crews deployed a boom around the boat.
By 9:30 p.m. the sheriff’s office reported the spill had been contained. Sheriff Burnett said the vessel had been surrounded by absorbent material to stop the diesel from flowing out into the lake.
Wednesday morning, Burnett said his office had not been able to find the boat’s owner. Investigators are still working to figure out what caused it to sink.
The boat will need to be removed from the lake, “which will require a contractor specializing in the removal of submerged vessels,” according to the sheriff.
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