UPDATED: The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has closed Keehi Lagoon to commercial and recreational ocean activities -- including fishing and canoe paddling -- for public safety due to impacts of Monday's molasses spill in nearby Honolulu harbor.
Federal help is on the way for state officials responding to a spill that dumped 224,000 gallons of molasses into waters near Honolulu harbor.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is sending two coordinators to Oahu to help state officials clean up the spill. Senator Brian Schatz says he's working to mobilize federal resources and believes there will be funding available under a program called CIRCLA, which provides resources for disaster response.
The spill was the result of a faulty pipe used by Matson Navigation Company. While Matson has transported and loaded molasses from the harbor for the past 30 years, senior executive Vic Angoco says there was never a contingency plan for a spill of this nature.
