Crews work to pull up tank that may be source of Columbia River oil sheen

ASTORIA, Ore. – The Coast Guard says contract crews are working to pull up an old 20-foot-long tank that may be the potential source of an oil sheen on the Columbia River near Astoria.

Coast Guard spokeswoman Ali Flockerzi said Sunday that it could take a few days for workers to remove portions of the pier and access that tank located underneath the Cannery Pier.

She says it’s unknown yet what’s inside the tank. The Coast Guard has sent oil samples to a lab in Connecticut to be analyzed.

The tank has a maximum spill potential of 4,200 gallons but it is not known how much product has been released.

The sheen was reported Thursday. Flockerzi says the sheen is “pretty well contained” with containment booms and crews have cleaned up most of the areas.