A recent diesel fuel spill in the Perrin River resulted in approximately $50,000 in containment and cleanup fees, state officials said Friday.

“We expect to recover these costs from the owner of the vessel,” whom Bill Hayden, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, identified as a resident of Hayes. The 100-foot boat sank and leaked an unspecified amount of diesel fuel.

 “As of now, DEQ has paid all the costs for containment and cleanup,” Hayden said. No information was provided by state and local agencies about why the boat sank.

Officials were notified of a diesel fuel spill in the Perrin River on Feb. 20. The Virginia Department of Health, Division of Shellfish Sanitation, enacted an emergency shellfish closure in the Perrin River on Feb. 21, which has been extended until next Tuesday.

However, technicians were scheduled to test the Perrin River—in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration&md...