Prime Incorporated Herbicide Spill

Maps/Drawings

News Articles

Update 9/08/00 p.m.

The Washington State Department of Ecology is no longer actively involved with this spill.  

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality may have information regarding the current status of the spill, and related clean-up efforts.

Update 8/28/00 p.m.

The Dalles Dam raised the level of water behind the dam.  This caused the creek to flood with clean water from the Columbia River, creating more contaminated water that will need to be disposed of. Efforts are beginning to raise the height of the sandbag dam, and dewater the creek again. The Dalles Dam was contacted and they agreed to keep the water level behind the dam at a level lower than the creek.

The disposal plan for the contaminated water and sediments was completed, and approved.

Update 8/25/00 p.m.

Temporary dams have been place up-stream and down-stream of the section of 15 Mile Creek which was impacted by the spill. Clean-up efforts continue for both the sediments and water within this closed off section.

A disposal plan has been developed and is being reviewed, sampling is continuing to further evaluate the impact of the spill.

Update 8/24/00 a.m.

Sampling and cleanup continues at the site - Plans have been made to construct a water by-pass in Fifteen Mile Creek. Clean water above the spill site will be pumped around the spill site and directly into the Columbia River. Vacuum equipment will then be used to remove both water and sediment from the creek. This activity is expected to last for several days. Extensive water sampling has been done and is on-going. Results are pending.

Responders from the site report that everything from the spill site from the spill site to the mouth of Fifteen Mile Creek is believed to be killed. There have been no observed fish kills in the Columbia River. The good news is that contrary to previous reports, the chemical is not bioaccumulative. The product breaks down in sunlight as well.

Summary Information (8/22/00)

A truck accident on I-84 near the Dalles has resulted in a release of the herbicide Oxyfluorfen into 15 Mile Creek.  Although the incident occurred on the Oregon side of the river, Washington is responding.

Oxyfluorfen is highly toxic to aquatic plants as well as fish.  It has a strong tendency to adsorb to soil particles and it bio-accumulates in animal tissues.

Initial reports are that between 8,000 to 16,000 pounds of Oxyfluorfen were spilled. It is not known at this time what other products the truck may have been carrying.

The fire associated with the accident has destroyed much of the tractor and trailer. (The photo above shows: The truck trailer which broke in half during the accident.  The back half went into the creek and burned. This photo shows what was left and the burned hillside. No water was put on the accident so it was still smoking when Dale Davis, Ecology took the photo.) Fifteen Mile Creek is reported to be  running white from the spilled material.

Fish potentially at risk from spilled material include:  

• Adult fall Chinook are migrating upstream. They include healthy  stocks of upriver brights heading to the Hanford reach and threatened Snake River fall Chinook. 

• Juvenile fall Chinook: tail end of snake river and clearwater fall Chinook smolts are in river going downstream. Juvenile migration ends at end of Aug. 

• Adult coho are also migrating up. Bonneville hatchery tules are migrating and heading to spring creek  federal hatchery, about 15 miles downstream. 

• Lots of steelhead: threatened snake river, endangered upper Columbia  river, threatened mid Columbia 

• Pacific Lamprey 

• White Sturgeon 

• Walleye, Small Mouth Bass,  

• Carp, Northern Pikeminnow, Dace, Peamouth