Tuesday October 1, 2024
KCRA —
Nearly 400 gallons of oil spilled in the Smith Canal in Stockton on Friday.
Officials are now investigating this as an illegal dumping case.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife was notified Friday that a petroleum oil spill had occurred in the state waters of the Smith Canal, according to department officials.
The source of the spill appears to be from an oil burner that had a potential maximum capacity of 380 gallons, though authorities have not specified how much oil has gone into the canal.
A neighbor, who wants to stay anonymous, and lives directly in front of where the spill happened, told KCRA 3 that he witnesses multiple illegal dumpings along the canal on a weekly basis.
“I didn’t think anything of it because they drop so much garbage around here. It’s kind of pointless trying to stop and yell and trying to pick a fight with every single person,” said the neighbor.