Responders in Alaska are trying to pinpoint the source of a mysterious fuel leak that keeps appearing as an oily sheen near a tiny village on the state's western coast.
The latest episode near Shishmaref was reported in late May, prompting the Coast Guard and state environmental regulators to again travel to the Inupiat Eskimo community of about 600 to investigate last week. Responders found a small sheen on the shoreline and some gravel stained by the fuel.
"But we couldn't determine where the source of the discharge was coming from," Coast Guard marine science technician Frances Caselton said Tuesday.
Sheens also were seen in the vicinity last June, and again in December, triggering cleanup efforts that included collecting contaminated ice. There have been no reports of any wildlife affected by the sheens, according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
Samples collected in December identified the leak as a mix of weathered gasoline and diesel fuel, according to a DEC incident report.
Villagers have been asked to test the marine pipeline system that is used to transfer fuel delivered by barge to the village storage tanks, said Caselton.
The transfer system was relocated up to 20 feet in 2012 because of ongoing erosion in Shishmaref, she said. The line has not been tested for some time.
The sheen also is located nearby.
"Because it was adjacent to the marine transfer system there, we think it may be that," said Caselton, who was among responders to go to the village last week. "But we're not 100 percent sure because we didn't see any actively leaking."
DEC officials say a metal detector used after the December sheen failed to find any buried tanks or drums.
People in Shishmaref are anxious to find out where the leak is coming from. Many in the community rely on subsistence fishing and hunting for much of their food. People will soon start fishing for salmon and other fish, and there are concerns about the environment, said village Mayor Howard Weyiouanna Sr.
It also would be good to zero in on the source of the leak before more fuel is delivered by barge, he said.
"We'll do the best we can to find out where all the oil is coming from," he said.
The DEC said in a report that the land and water around the Shishmaref Native Store was affected by the sheen. Store worker Travis Ningealook said the store itself was not affected, but the smell of fuel can be detected in the store if the wind is blowing in the right direction.