Spill chronology
Dec 23, 1988 - An oil barge owned by Sause Bros. Ocean Towing of Oregon is punctured off the Washington coast when a tow cable breaks in high seas. Lew Kittle of the Washington State Department of Ecology recommends that the leaking barge be towed away from nearby ecologically sensitive Gray's Harbor. In all, 875,000 litres of bunker C oil escapes.
Dec. 24 - More than 6,000 dead and dying sea birds begin washing up on the Washington and Oregon coasts. A well-organized volunteer clean-up begins with the help coming from two federal and three state departments. Some 2,500 people work at cleaning birds.
Dec. 29 - The U.S. Coast Guard tracks a small oil slick off the coast, missing a larger slick headed for Vancouver Island.
Jan. 1, 1989 - Oil is spotted off Carmanah Point Lighthouse. U.S. officials tell the Canadian coast guard that a small slick being tracked by aircraft is no threat. No Canadian clean-up plan is prepared because if is felt the oil will be blown out to sea.
Jan. 3 - Morning light reveals heavy black oil on 8 km of beaches at Pacific Rim National Park. Canadian and U.S. officials are reluctant to admit this may be oil from the Gray's Bay spill. The barge company offers to pay any clean-up costs if the source can be confirmed.
Jan. 4 - Samples taken for testing confirm the U.S. source. Local clean-up efforts are organized out of Tofino.
Jan. 5 - Scientists, fishermen and environmentalists express concerns about the unknown toxic effects of the oil on herring spawning, grey whale migrations and sea otter colonies at Bajo Reef and the Bunsby Island. Hundreds of dead sea birds are collected on beaches.
Jan. 6 - Crab and shellfish harvesting is banned over most of the coast costing the industry tens of thousands of dollars. Even deep-water crab pots are coming up with dead oil-coated crabs. The Wilderness Committee begins a full-scale campaign to contact Environment Canada's emergency measures office in Ottawa at 2:30 am. Ontario time. Earlier in the day a federal official in Vancouver stated that the reason oil wasn't being picked up off the beaches was that "too much sand might be removed in the process."
Bruce Strachan, left, and pilot meeting volunteers Lorna Walsh and Ross Smith on Long Beach. Photo: Mark Hobson.
Jan. 7 - Pressure mounts on B.C. Environment Minister Bruce Strachan, who continues to say that the oil-slicked beaches are Ottawa's concern, not his. Two WCWC directors head to Tofino to help with the clean-up and to assess the situation.
Jan. 8 - The Coast Guard vessel Sir James Douglas steams towards Nootka Sound with crews instructed to help clean Friendly Cove the following morning.
Jan. 9 - Federal Environment Minister Bouchard, B.C. Environment Minister Strachan and Fisheries Minister Siddon tour the affected area. More than 100 volunteers and 80 paid employees work from dawn to dusk cleaning up the thick brown sludge. Strachan promises that the B.C. government will provide hot meals and replacement clothing for volunteers working the beaches.
Jan. 11 - Officials now concede that this spill is the worst in B.C. history. Continued pleading gets a commitment from Ottawa for military personnel and helicopters to help with the clean-up. This news is welcomed by volunteers who have been unable to reach isolated locations by boat because of rough seas. The volunteer centre says it can use another 500 workers. The Canadian coast guard fails to follow up on Ottawa's offer of help from Comox Squadron 442 and clean-up efforts continue to be almost non existant in remote locations.
Jan. 12 - Siddon and Bouchard announce a final assault on what they say is the last of the oil-covered beaches from Sooke to Esperanza Inlet. The gooey slick reaches the beaches of Victoria along with two dead oil-covered harbor seals. The helicopter-equipped cost guard ship George R. Pearkes is sent to help. An additional 80 paid workers are hired by the clean-up contractor. The Wilderness Committee mails vials of spill oil to every MP describing in a letter the frustrations of trying to deal with bureaucratic bungling.
Jan. 13 - Oil coats sections of China and French beaches near Sooke, killing numerous sea birds.
Ralley to support oil spill clean-up efforts. Canada Place, Saturday, Jan. 14. 1989
Jan 14 - Jim Walker, director of the B.C. Fish and Wildlife Branch, warns that oil spills could easily wipe out the province's 400 reintroduced sea otters.
Jan. 15 - About 50 scientists are now working on the west coast of the island assessing long term damage to the fragile environment. Over 100,000 kilos of oil-soaked debris is held in storage near Tofino.
Jan. 16 - A lawyer with the Washington State Department of Ecology says that Sause Bros. could use the U.S. admiralty law to avoid paying for the multi- million dollar clean-up to coasts in B.C., Washington and Oregon.
Jan. 18 - Aircraft track the movement of an oil slick threatening the Queen Charlotte Islands. In Vancouver the Wilderness Committee begins selling vials of oil as "souvenirs" to help raise money for the clean-up.
Jan. 20 - The Scott Islands, between Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlottes, is hit by the oil spill. The federal and B.C. governments continue to discuss who has jurisdiction over offshore oil exploration.
Jan. 21 - Outraged volunteers are offered certificates of appreciation by Premier Vander Zalm. Local MLA, Gerard Janssen, refuses to cooperate with the premier, saying that the volunteers would roll him in tar if he showed up with the certificates. An international committee is established to ensure future oil spills are tackled immediately.
Jan. 22 - The fishermen's union says that this spring's $22 million herring fishery may be in danger. Clean-up efforts continue with up to 11 helicopters and scores of both paid and unpaid workers.
Jan. 26 - The coast guard begins a clean up of an oiled beach at Bajo Point near a colony of 300 endangered sea otters after one animal is killed by the contamination. Workers begin stripping the beach of gravel and replacing it with clean material.
Feb. 7 - Small oil blobs continue to wash up on Long Beach. Volunteer scuba divers check Ahous Bay, Triangle Island and Long Beach for oil and find almost none visible but state that it has probably worked its way deeper into sediments. Environment Canada dredges bottom samples for later analysis. Bajo Point is still a problem. The coast guard announces that 90 km of beach is now oil free.
Feb. 11 - Hot meals are cut off by the B.C. government as the province and the coast guard announce that volunteers are no longer needed. People working on cleaning up seabird nesting sites on Clelland Island and on other areas disagree. Friends of Clayoquot Sound report from Tofino that oil blobs continue to wash ashore with each storm and continued help will be needed to clean beaches.
