Cleanup underway for river oil spill at Priest Rapids Dam
VERNITA — Cleanup efforts will continue Friday for an oil spill into the Columbia River that occurred early Wednesday afternoon at Grant PUD’s Priest Rapids Dam.
The spill happened around 1 p.m. while a PUD crew was servicing one of the dam’s generating units with mineral oil, according to the utility district. Cause and size of the spill are under investigation.
Officials said cleanup crews were quickly dispatched. A response team installed absorbent booms in the river about nine miles downstream at the Vernita Bridge crossing to help contain the floating oil and protect critical areas.
"While these kinds of spills are rare, we do take them very seriously," said Jeff Grizzel, Grant PUD's senior vice president of power and marketing operations, in a press release. "We have a spill response plan that includes regular training. We are now following that plan and using that training to work as quickly as possible to safely remove oil from the river."
The PUD said a contractor, GrayMar Environmental Services, has been involved in the cleanup efforts. Crews were on the scene at 5 a.m. today and continued until darkness approached and work was suspended for safety. They will resume on Friday.
The Washington Department of Ecology is overseeing the cleanup work and will decide when the booms can be removed. Until then, the agency is recommending that boaters stay off the river between the dam and the Tri-Cities. Anyone seeing oiled wildlife downstream of Priest Rapids Dam is asked to notify the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife at 1-800-222-4737.
The Department of Ecology has estimated the oil spill at about 240 gallons. But PUD information officer Christine Pratt said Thursday evening the amount still remains unknown.
“Our crew at the dam has been working to determine that, based on the amount of spill eventually collected by the booms and their analysis of oil residue in the powerhouse,” said Pratt. “Too soon to tell yet with accuracy.”
In a Facebook post Thursday evening, Ecology said the river had been surveyed by boat and aerial drone. “Light sheening” was observed near Richland, but there had been no reports of oiled wildlife, the agency said.
