Friday, February 20, 2015

NO REMAINING CONTAMINANTS FOUND IN HOQUIAM RIVER OIL SPILL, THOUGH THE WATER IS NOT VISIBLY CLEAN










FEBRUARY 19, 2015

HOQUIAM, WASHINGTON

State Department of Ecology officials have found no traces of contaminants in the Hoquiam River following a light oil spill, though the water is not completely clean, officials said Wednesday.

A Coast Guard incident management team responded to the spill on Saturday afternoon after receiving reports of a sheen on the river’s surface near the Harbor Paper Mill. The Coast Guard, in conjunction with the departments of Ecology, Fish and Wildlife and the Grays Harbor PUD, is now investigating the spill.

As one of the leaseholders of the mill site, the PUD is helping with clean-up efforts following the spill. Spokesman Ian Cope said the district hasn’t taken responsibility for the spill, and that tests to determine the cause remain ongoing.

“Our contractors immediately stopped the demolition work and started work on containment and clean up of the site,” Cope said. “At this point, we don’t know the source of the oil.”

Lisa Copeland, communications director for the Department of Ecology, said tests so far haven’t shown any signs of contaminants, though the waters where the spill happened, she said, have not been deemed completely clean as of Wednesday afternoon.

The department, she added, was especially concerned about polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs — toxic chemicals found in electrical transformers and other equipment found near the Harbor Paper Mill, where the spill originated.

“We were a little worried there might be some PCBs in there because they’re demolishing and dismantling that plant,” Copeland said. “So we thought there may be some electrical components (in the river).”

The spill, Copeland said, was a mixture of diesel fuel, hydraulic fluid and other lubricants. She added the department will have a better understanding of what was in the spill following the tests.

Copeland added that the sampling of water in the area is expected to last several more days. The samples will then be used to further investigate the environmental impact of the spill.