A rainbow hue of oil floating on the water’s surface at the Inner Harbor prompted an emergency cleanup by environmental regulators on Friday afternoon, officials said.
There were at least three locations at the Inner Harbor where oil has been seen on the water’s surface, said Leanna Frick, a spokesperson with Blue Water Baltimore, a nonprofit organization that helps monitor water quality in the area.
Jay Apperson, a spokesperson with the Maryland Department of the Environment, said emergency response crews and the U.S. Coast Guard mostly cleaned up the oil spill on Friday afternoon and were monitoring the area to ensure there were no additional spills.
It was not immediately clear how much the oil had spread or if it has any serious impacts on the Inner Harbor.
An influx of visitors and boats have arrived at the Inner Harbor as Baltimore hosts tall ships from around the world for the Sail250 event this weekend. About a half-million are expected to flock to the harbor to tour the visiting ships.
It was unclear if the oil was associated with any activity from Sail250.
About a year ago, around 5,000 gallons of fuel spilled from Johns Hopkins Hospital through storms drains and coated the harbor. Johns Hopkins said then that it would pay for the cleanup.
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