Shanghai's massive campaign to clean up an oil spill near its largest source of tap water along the Huang-pu River wrapped up yesterday.

Local officials are still studying the long-term effects of the spill in the city's southwest suburban Minhang District and discussing security measures to secure tap-water sources in the future.

Hundreds of the Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers working on the site since Sunday collected 375.5 tons of polluted water and 1,960 tons of oil-soaked grass and plants from the river and its banks.

Officials believe the spill occurred when an unidentified 500-ton vessel collided with a cargo ship moored at Wujing waterways last Tuesday, according to Zhou Zhengbao, a spokesman for the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration.

The collision caused 85 tons of fuel to leak from the cargo ship into the river, about 17 kilometers down-stream from the source of 70 percent of the city's tap water. Due to low water levels in the river, the spill was able to move upstream and come within a few kilometers of the source.

"After the cleanup, the possibility of oil pollution at the source was terminated," said Zhang Quan, deputy director of the city's Environ-mental Protection Bureau. "There is only a little oil left at the lower reaches of the site, and maritime officials can handle it easily."

Zhang cautioned, however, that residents won't be allowed to fish in a 10-kilometer stretch between Zhagang and Xupu Bridge in Minhang for some time and should avoid eating seafood from the area.

"Our experts are still studying the ecology at the area, but it will definitely take a long time for a total recovery," said Zhang.

Special bacteria will be used in the river to accelerate its ecological recovery, Zhang.

He said officials are also discussing ways to improve security around tap-water sources and set up an emer-gency response system so future spills can be contained quickly.

Officials in Shanghai are currently working with their counterparts in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces to track down the small vessel believed to have caused the accident.

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