West Falmouth Oil Spill, 41 Years Later

It has been more than 40 years since the oil barge Florida spilled close to 200,000 gallons of light diesel fuel in Buzzards Bay. But if you dig six inches down, into the Wild Harbor marsh, you can still sniff that dreaded stench: oil.

It was once conventional knowledge that once the oil is gone, so is its impact. But scientists studying the West Falmouth oil spill have discovered lingering effects that continue to affect the marsh ecosystem as well as its wildlife.