Weber State University and Ogden Fire Department officials are seeking the source of an oily scum that showed up Friday morning on the surface of a campus fountain and pond that is used by ducks.

"It's kind of a focal point of campus," said Jerry B. Jones, WSU's project coordinator and the official in charge of environmental affairs at the university.A groundskeeper discovered the contamination about 8:45 a.m. Friday and notified campus safety officers, according to WSU. The pond holds water discharged from a network of storm drains and eventually feeds the Ogden River.

Capt. Robert Brian, a member of the Ogden Fire Department hazardous materials response team, told the Deseret News that the material seems to pose no threat to drinking water at the university or in neighboring communities and is no danger to the ducks.

"We had a few lucky things happen. The ice sheeting on the pond stopped the majority of the flow." That made it easier to cleanse the fountain.

"The ducks appear to be OK. They moved to a clear part of the end."

WSU officials have "taken some good aggressive measures," Brian said.

Jones said he isn't certain what the substance is, but it looked like a film on the water. "It smelled like diesel fuel," he said.

"We had some coming in on a waterfall on the south end (of the pond). The impact was very small."

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Jones said he doesn't know how much material flushed into the pond or where it came from.

He took samples of the material for analysis, expected to be completed Monday. The lab tests should help to identify the material, and that in turn could help identify the cause of the spill.

Several potential sources are being investigated including abandoned service stations and trucks used at a nearby campus construction site.

"Soaker bags" that float on the surface of the water and peat moss are capturing the material. Brian said the cleanup may take a week.

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