215-gallon oil spill discovered at Delaware beach

BROADKILL BEACH, Del. (AP) - An approximately 215-gallon oil spill has been discovered at a Delaware beach.

The spill from an unknown source spanned three-quarters of a mile of upper Delaware Bay coastline, depositing much of the oil that came ashore in the sand at Broadkill Beach, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control said in a news release Monday. A reconnaissance flight determined the size of the spill.

Samples of the oil will be provided to the U.S. Coast Guard Tuesday to be analyzed for a “petroleum fingerprint” that might determine its source, the department said.

The department was also working with the Coast Guard’s environmental contractor to clean up the spill.