Chevron reported on Facebook Wednesday that less than a barrel of hydrocarbon liquid had spilled into San Francisco Bay at the Richmond Refinery Long Wharf during a maintenance activity.
The company said it responded immediately to contain the spill, along with the U.S. Coast Guard and California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and that it was investigating the cause.
“The release was quickly stopped, kept away from environmentally sensitive areas, and clean up has concluded. There were no reported community impacts,” the company said in a statement Thursday.
Chevron reported the spill to the state Office of Emergency Services at 2:52 p.m., according to the hazardous materials spill report. About 10 minutes later, a Level 1 alert reached cellphones through the Community Warning System. The lowest alert category, Level 1 requires residents to take no action. A Level 2 alert is used when hazardous material goes off-site.
Chevron Richmond spokesperson Caitlin Powell said less than 21 gallons of a gasoline mixture had spilled and that the event did not escalate to Level 2.
Last year, Contra Costa Health collaborated with the Community Warning System to include Level 1 events in the alert system. Before 2025, residents were not alerted to Level 1 events, which is how many refinery flares are classified. The change came out of a recommendation from a Contra Costa County grand jury.
On July 1, Contra Costa County moved its hazardous materials program from the health department to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. More than a day after Tuesday’s spill, Fire Protection had not posted a report or a news release about the incident on its website.
Residents may sign up for text message alerts about spills, flares and other events at industrial facilities in Contra Costa County, including the four oil refineries, at CWSAlerts.com.
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