CARLSBAD – Authorities were working against time and the rising tide to clean up and minimize environmental damage after diesel fuel and 19 tons of asphalt were spilled into the Batiquitos Lagoon early Friday morning.

Photos courtesy Raquel Lonas Officials work to minimize the environmental damage after a large truck hauling asphalt crashed into the Batiquitos Lagoon. Debbi Baker / Union-Tribune The crash was blamed on a blown tire that caused the driver to lose control.

A large truck hauling the semi-solid petroleum product careened onto the grassy marshlands that surrounds the waterway after the truck blew a tire and the driver lost control, said California Highway Patrol Officer Eric Newbury.

The 2005 Peterbilt was heading north on Interstate 5 about 1 a.m. and had just passed La Costa Avenue when a left rear blew out and lost all of its tread.

Several feet of tire-tread marks on the freeway indicate the 29-year-old driver slammed on his brakes and swerved to the right, Newbury said.

“You can see he tried to maintain the truck,” he said. “But there's no way he could recover.”

The four-axle vehicle took out about 100 feet of guardrail before it went down a 25-foot embankment and turned on its side. The asphalt spilled over a 10-by-15 foot area and is hardening, according to officials. They were hoping to clean up as much of the spill as possible before high tide, which was expected to occur at 1 p.m.

The truck's fuel tanks also ruptured, spilling an estimated 60 to 80 gallons of diesel fuel, according to officials. Hydraulic fluid and other oils also spilled onto the coastal wetlands, Newbury said.

The driver, who was shaken up but not injured, went to a gas station to call for help.

The two right lanes of the freeway, as well as the northbound exit for La Costa Avenue, were closed Friday morning and were expected to remain closed into the afternoon. Traffic was moving in single-digit speeds from as far back as Del Mar.

Officials from the U.S. Coast Guard; the state's Department of Fish and Game; Caltrans crews; and hazardous-material teams responded to the scene to clean up the spill.

“We're getting the truck out now, and once we are done we will clean up the pollution issue,” said Robin Lewis, a scientist with the fish and game department who specializes in pollution spills.

The main concern was containing the fuel and other oils before the early-afternoon high tide, Lewis said. The rising water levels could disperse the pollution across the surface of the lagoon, which empties into the ocean.

Petty Officer Kevin Vengrow, a marine science technician with the Coast Guard, said they were also concerned the contaminants would wash up on nearby beaches.

The truck landed on the soggy, vegetated marshland about 100 yards from the lagoon surface and close to tidal channels and tributaries.

“We need to minimize collateral damage to the wetland area itself,” Lewis said.

Several feet of absorbent booms were placed around the crash scene and other absorbent materials were used to soak up the diesel fuel and other liquids.

“We think we've got it contained pretty good right now,” Lewis said.

The scientist said the other concern was that the petroleum compounds contained in the asphalt could leach into the soil and vegetation and eventually into the food chain.

Lewis said there did not appear to be any impact on wildlife so far, with limited impact on the habitat.

He said removing the pollutants and contaminated soil would take all day. It would also be an engineering challenge due to the saturated land that sinks about three feet when you walk on it.

A ramp will first have to be built to get an excavator down the side of the embankment. Then several yards of riprap or crushed concrete will be used to build a platform that can support the weight of the heavy machinery, which weighs several tons.

“We have to get that thing down there and then prevent it from becoming part of the landscape,” he said.

The asphalt and contaminated soil will then be loaded into a front loader and transferred to a dump truck.

Lewis also said that as the tide rises, they will be surrounded by a few inches of standing water. “There will be a pool of water at our feet, ” he said.

He estimated the clean-up costs would be “several tens of thousands of dollars.”

CHP Officer Newbury said the owner of the truck would be responsible for the damages. He said the driver was based in Rialto and was driving south on the freeway from Irvine to a construction site on Palomar Airport Road. He apparently missed the exit and was heading back north when the crash occurred. He did not yet know the name of the company and said the driver was traveling the speed limit and would most likely not be cited for any infractions.

The driver told authorities that he thought he had been hit by another vehicle, but Newbury said he did not see any evidence of that. He said the truck would be checked for any impact or paint marks and that the investigation is ongoing.

Batiquitos Lagoon is an ecological reserve owned by the state and managed by the Department of Fish and Game as a fish nursery and a protected haven for other wildlife that includes birds, insects, and mammals.

The 610-acre body of saltwater opens into the ocean at South Carlsbad State Beach and has two freshwater tributaries, said lagoon foundation board member Don Rideout.

---