HERNANDO BEACH, Fla. — Many people in Hernando Beach were concerned when photos of an apparent fuel spill in the canals emerged.
- Hernando Beach residents say spills happen far too often
- County referred Spectrum Bay News 9 to Coast Guard for comment
- Spills can be referred to National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802
- More Hernando County headlines
Real estate photographer Mark Lopez was shooting video in Hernando Beach Saturday when he spotted it in the water.
"I was really surprised to see that," Lopez said.
"Initially I spotted a little bit around a home, and when I took the drone up higher I realized it was much more widespread than I thought," he added.
County officials went out to take a look at the apparent fuel spill earlier this week and found that it had cleared on its own.
But Hernando Beach residents say spills like this happen far too often.
"In our own canal, we've seen oil slicks also and have called the National Response Center. And there's numerous complaints and reports of oil spills in our canals," Dave Snutes said.
Spectrum Bay News 9 went to the county to find out why this is happening — they referred us to the Coast Guard.
Officials at the Coast Guard Sector in St. Petersburg confirmed they do get frequent reports of contamination in Hernando Beach waters.
"Many of these causes are currently under investigation, but commonly what we have seen are spills on board the deck that have gotten washed into the bilge which pumps overboard and creates a sheen in the waters," said Lt. Darrina Willis, Incident Management Division Chief.
They encourage quick reporting to the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802 in order to track down where the spill came from.
Officials also stress they can take action against vessel owners if they are found responsible for the contamination.
"Vessel operators and owners are encouraged to be knowledgeable of their vessels operating procedures as well as conduct routine maintenance on their equipment," Lt. Willis said.
Lopez and residents in Hernando Beach hope sharing his pictures will bring more attention to the issue and lead to less spills like this in the future.
"I wanted to make sure that something was done about it because you just don't want something like that to stay like that," Lopez said.
Coast Guard officials also told Spectrum Bay News 9 they are networking with local officials about this issue and plan to do community outreach in the area.