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Department of Ecology News Release - October 17, 2002
02-194
OLYMPIA - The University of Puget Sound in Tacoma has been fined $10,000 by the state for spilling 122 gallons of diesel heating fuel into a storm drain that empties into Commencement Bay at Hamilton Park.
The spill occurred on the afternoon of Feb. 21 when boiler oil was sent to an underground storage tank that was already full. The spill was not reported to the Department of Ecology (Ecology) until noon the next day.
"This was a preventable spill, caused by operator error and compounded when the institution failed to notify proper authorities for 20 hours. That virtually eliminated any chance to recover the oil," said Eric Heinitz, a spill-response manager for Ecology.
By law, all oil spills must be reported immediately to authorities.
"If you can't find the Department of Ecology's phone number, call your local fire department, call 911, but call!" Heinitz said.
Ecology's investigation also found that the university had no spill-response plan for dealing with such emergencies, Heinitz said.
Rainfall contributed to the flow of diesel into the bay.
"The university deployed a cleanup contractor, put safeguards in place to prevent such an incident from occurring again, and are working with a local environmental restoration society to develop a mitigation project," said Craig Benjamin, director of the university's facilities services. "We fully and willingly accepted the responsibility and the financial obligation for correcting the mistake."
The university has 15 days to apply to Ecology for relief from the penalty and 30 days to appeal it to the state Pollution Control Hearings Board.
Contact: Sandy Howard, public information manager, 360-407-6239
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
