Officials are still investigating what caused the Manitowoc’s hull breach, off the coast of Manistee.
But the fuel leak avoided a worst-case scenario: a potential 45-thousand gallons of diesel spilling into Lake Michigan.
Lieutenant Anthony Gallegos (gah-yeh-gos) is with the U-S Coast Guard. He says they’re still monitoring the potential environmental effects from the spill... but so far, there are no reported impacts on shorelines, wildlife, or drinking water.
“Any pollution in Lake Michigan is too much. However, being able to mitigate it from being worse is always the objective.”
The Coast Guard says the spilled diesel has mostly dissipated and evaporated, without sinking into the lake.
