Oil Spill | Richmond, California | 1917 - Present

What Happened?

From 1917 until 2000, several companies leased property for bulk storage facilities at Richmond Terminal 4, located on Point San Pablo along the shore of the San Francisco Bay Estuary. Petroleum products, fertilizers, animal and vegetable oils, acids, and other industrial liquids leaked from storage tanks and polluted the surrounding environment. The last of these companies ceased operations at Richmond Terminal 4 in 2000. 

After oily seepage was observed along the shore adjacent to the site in 2001, the California Environmental Protection Agency ordered the potentially responsible parties to investigate and clean up the site. Reports of petroleum hydrocarbons associated with improper storage on the site contaminated soils and groundwater, and caused a persisting oily discharge from several seeps along the adjacent shore. These substances have potentially injured invertebrates, birds, fish, seagrasses, and algae.

What Were the Impacts?

The operations at Richmond Terminal 4 resulted in regular releases of contaminants into the Bay. Petroleum hydrocarbons associated with improper storage on the site contaminated soils and groundwater, and caused a persisting oily discharge from several seeps along the adjacent shore. These substances have potentially injured fish and other aquatic life in the area.

Affected habitats include intertidal boulder, cobble, and sand beach bordered by bluffs. Just offshore is a patchwork of mudflat, ghost shrimp beds, and eelgrass. Eelgrass in San Francisco Bay provides valuable habitat for fish (including spawning herring), invertebrates, and birds. The eelgrass beds around Richmond Terminal 4 and Point San Pablo are considered some of the more stable in the region.

What’s Happening Now?

Groundwater monitoring continued until May of 2016. Monitoring is ongoing for seeps of petroleum hydrocarbons on the nearby beach.

On December 11, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice announced a proposed nonjudicial settlement for $650,000 to compensate for natural resource injuries resulting from oil discharges from or near the Port of Richmond Terminal 4. The settlement will resolve the liability of United Molasses, Inc. for adverse impacts to natural resources as well as the cost of assessing those injuries. Of the $650,000, $450,000 will be used to plan, implement, and monitor future restoration projects; $200,000 is to compensate for assessment costs.

On January 13, 2025, the United States and the State of California finalized the non-judicial settlement with United Molasses, Inc. for $650,000. The settlement resolves the liability of United Molasses, Inc. for adverse impacts to natural resources as well as the cost of assessing those injuries.