Bouchard Transportation Co., whose barge Number 120 deposited approximately 15,000 gallons of Number 6 diesel fuel into Buzzards Bay Sunday, is no stranger to the process they are now going through - clean-up and investigation.

Prevailing winds so far have helped the Vineyard escape any real environmental impact from an oil spill Sunday that dumped almost 15,000 gallons into Buzzards Bay, killing at least five waterfowl and polluting more than 10 miles of mainland beaches along the bay.

Chunks of oil the size of hockey pucks were spotted in Vineyard Sound near the Elizabeth Islands, prompting Dukes County officials to declare a state of emergency Wednesday, but none of the oil has yet washed ashore on any Island beaches.

It was a perfect day to be on the water last Wednesday in Menemsha; there was little wind and the sun was shining as the commercial and recreational harbor began to get under way for the summer season. But what if one of those boats had an accident and oil began to cascade into the inner harbor, or worse, if a large tanker had an incident out in Buzzards Bay?

With both scenarios real possibilities, Islanders prepared an emergency response plan in the event of an oil spill.

The fuel station at Church’s Pier will remain closed after a Fourth of July gas leak.

The fuel station at Church’s Pier will remain closed after a Fourth of July gas leak.

Oak Bluffs fire chief Peter Forend said that because of old fuel lines, the station at the Oak Bluffs harbor — the only source of fuel at the busy marina — will be closed until repairs are made.

A Falmouth-based fuel company was fined $25,000 and sentenced to three years probation in Dukes County superior court this week for charges related to an Oak Bluffs oil spill.