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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 17, 1997
97-196
CONTACT: Eric Heinitz, Southwest Region Spill Response Supervisor,
(360) 407-6375
Curt Hart, Public Outreach and Involvement Coordinator, (360) 407-6973
CAMAS, WA - The state Department of Ecology is responding to an oil spill that entered the Washougal and Columbia rivers near Camas on Tuesday.
The spill occurred some time late Monday, Dec. 15, when fuel leaked from a valve on a 1,000-gallon mobile fuel-storage tank owned by the McBride Construction Co. in Camas. An unknown quantity of fuel spilled into a ditch adjacent to the construction company. Heavy rains carried the fuel down the ditch and into a nearby wetland. The diesel fuel flowed through the wetland and into the Washougal River that flows into the Columbia River.
McBride Construction Co. hired FOSS Environmental Services to help contain and clean up the spill. Ecology responders will be back at site of the spill today to monitor cleanup operations.
On Tuesday, Ecology spill responders observed patches of oil in the ditch and wetland as well as lighter patches in the Washougal and Columbia rivers. According to agency responders, the oil in the rivers was too thin to recover. However, some oil was recovered from the wetland. Oil-containment boom was placed in the ditch and wetland to keep further fuel from entering the Washougal River. The Fort James Corporation Camas Mill loaned responders the use of the containment boom.
There were no initial reports of injured fish, birds or other wildlife due to the spill. However, Ecology and state Department of Fish and Wildlife staff have been on scene to assess natural resource damages caused by the diesel spill.
Agency officials are currently investigating how much diesel fuel was spilled and the exact cause of the incident.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
