Heather Curtis

WMAL.com

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research removed eight oiled geese from the Roaches Run Wildlife Sanctuary along the Potomac River Friday following an oil spill first reported to the Coast Guard Wednesday.

“There’s still wildlife out that there that are covered in oil that have not been recovered yet that are not being rehabilitated or triaged, so that’s definitely happening, and the Coast Guard can’t get in because the tide’s going out. It’s super windy,” Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks told WMAL News around 1:30 Friday afternoon.

Lieutenant David Ruhlig with the Coast Guard Baltimore said his agency’s top priority is limiting the environmental impact of the spill, which runs from just north of Reagan National Airport to the area near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

While they don’t yet know what caused the spill, Ruhlig said they think it may be coming from Roaches Run where they have found the highest concentration of oil.

“We have cleanup contractors there, and we have containment boom and sorbet materials in place to help cleanup what we can there,” said Ruhlig.

Naujoks said it’s too soon to tell what the long-term environmental impacts will be but said the spill will continue to cause problems for the next couple of days.

Whoever is responsible for the spill is expected to be penalized according to Naujoks.

(Photo: Potomac Riverkeeper Network)