Crews found a second contaminated spot along an Oakland creek now filled with 12 truckloads of cement, officials announced Friday, after a contractor accidentally turned a valve the wrong way, allowing the gray muck to spew into the water.
At a news conference, Andrew Hughan, a spokesman for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, said work will continue through April 14 to haul the concrete out of Glen Echo Creek off Broadway Terrace, where the accident occurred on Thursday about 9 a.m.
The spillage of 106 cubic yards occurred when a valve was left open during a pipe retrofit project by the East Bay Municipal Utilities District, acccording to spokeswoman Abby Figeuroa. She explained that most valves are "leftie loosey, righty tighty." But these valves work the other way - something the contractor didn't know.
The newly discovered contaminated site is about 200 feet long and located upstream from where cleanup crews were already working, Hughan said.
During cleanup on Thursday afternoon, one bird, a golden-crowned sparrow, was found dead and another was found injured and taken to the Lindsay Wildlife Center in Walnut Creek.
Hughan said any bug that was covered in concrete likely would have died, and it can take up to three years for the creek's ecosystem to fully recover.
NBC Bay Area's Lisa Fernandez, Christie Smith and Bay City News contributed to this report.
