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.