SAVOONGA, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation says human error caused a fuel oil spill in a St. Lawrence Island village.
An estimated 22,000 gallons (83,276 liters) of diesel spilled.
The spill occurred during transfer of fuel from a storage tank to a 3,000-gallon (11,350-liter) day tank at the Savoonga (sah-VOONG-gah) Native Store tank farm.
Workers discovered the spill early Wednesday and shut down fuel transfer equipment. DEC received word of the spill at 11:30 a.m.
The agency says fuel spilled in an area that was lined and contained within a dike. There are been no reports of effects outside the tank farm.
Savoonga is a village of 750 people on the north coast of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea about 164 miles (264 kilometers) west of Nome.
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