San Francisco Architectural Heritage
Advisory/Information

11/8/07

As a public service, we are forwarding this advisory on the conditions resulting from yesterday's oil spill in San Francisco Bay.

At 8:30 AM on Wednesday, November 7, an outbound container ship, the COSCO BUSAN, struck a pier of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, spilling approximately 58,000 gallons of fuel oil into San Francisco Bay. Between 12:30 and 3:30 PM, oil landed on the shores of Alcatraz Island and several beaches throughout the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. This is the largest oil spill in the San Francisco Bay since the CAPE MOHEGAN incident in 1996.

To protect the health and safety of visitors and park staff, the park instituted emergency temporary closures at Fort Point, Crissy Field Beach, China Beach, Baker Beach, Kirby Cove, Rodeo Beach, and Tennessee Valley Beach. San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park has also instituted emergency temporary closures at Aquatic Park, halting the activities of swimming clubs there. The temporary closures will remain in effect until the extent of the contamination and health risks have been assessed. The Crissy Field Promenade is considered open and safe for recreation but the beach itself remains closed. The Unified Incident Command Group led by the US Coast Guard is managing the response to the incident.

If you have questions, please call (510) 772-8865. To report oiled wildlife, please call the Oiled Wildlife Network at (877) 823-6926.