Dangerous chemical reaches Las Virgenes Creek

A large truck crashed and spilled about 70 gallons of diesel fuel onto the 101 Freeway at Lost Hills Road in Calabasas last week, and although Caltrans workers tried to clean the spill, some of the fuel reached the Las Virgenes Creek, officials said.

Clean-up crews were able to contain approximately 20 gallons of the spill, but the remaining 50 gallons escaped.

“It took them until 1 p.m. to (clean up the mess),” said Alex Farassati, Calabasas environmental services manager. “We inspected the creek (later that day) and didn’t see any spill, but (on Wednesday), the fuel reached Las Virgenes Creek through the storm drain (at Lost Hills Road, just north of Cold Springs Street).”

Local environmentalists worry that while diesel fuel in the creek is dangerous to plant life and animal life, it could do even more damage if it reaches the ocean.

Calabasas environmental officials notified regional agencies, including Los Angeles County Fire Department, Caltrans, California Department of Fish and Game, Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and Caltrans hazardous material workers, who showed up on the site to prevent the further spread of the chemical, according to Farassati.

Officials continued containment and clean-up efforts of the creek on Thursday using absorbent pads to collect the diesel fuel, according to Larry Edmonson, Calabasas senior public works inspector. Petroleum products float on water, making them easier to collect, experts say. The pads allow water to pass through, while only catching contaminants.

Additionally, clean-up crews pressure-washed the freeway and the catch basins to clear any diesel residue left from the spill, according to Edmonson.

Luckily, the fuel didn’t travel too far down the creek, said Edmonson, who pointed out that trash and debris in the creek helped slow the spill.

Calabasas Mayor Barry Groveman, who’s an environmental lawyer, said the spill could’ve been worse.

“There’s a famous story in San Francisco where a truck overturned on the Bay Bridge and white powder spilled,” Groveman said. “The experts did the best they could to find out what it was. They shut the whole place down for about five hours. It turned out it was flour. But there was no way of knowing. It could’ve been something really dangerous.”

Groveman said he’d like to propose an ordinance in the future that requires truck drivers carrying dangerous chemicals, such as diesel fuel, to notify the local fire department when passing through the Calabasas area.

Truckers traveling the freeway, however, would be exempt from the ordinance since they’re driving the freeway and not city roads.

“If we know that there are trucks in the area like that, then when an accident occurs, we’re equipped with understanding what was in the material,” Groveman said. “That’s the biggest problem. You don’t know what spilled and it costs a lot of money to figure out what it is.”