On this day, 36 years ago, March 22, 1989 (February 15, 1989, the lunar calendar), a serious oil pollution accident occurred in U.S. waters. In March 1989, the Exxon Valdez suffered the most serious oil pollution accident to date in U.S. waters. The 937-foot-long oil tanker Exson-Valdez hit a reef in Prince William Sound off the coast of Alaska and was hit by a hole, causing a large amount of oil to leak. About 10 million gallons of crude oil leaked into the sea; Contaminating 100 miles of coastline, causing irreparable damage to wildlife, including seals, otters and migrating seabirds.