Job Site Diesel Spill Kills Fish in Washington Creek

By: Robert Mittendorf
Source: The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.) (TNS)

Crews began removing soil contaminated by a fuel spill in Padden Creek earlier this month, after a weekend setback caused by unseasonably heavy rain.

The Herald was allowed access to the area Monday where Padden Creek crosses 10th Street on the outskirts of Fairhaven, but reporters weren’t able to see the actual spill location under 12th Street bridge because of safety considerations.

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Workers were using heavy equipment to move earth after a pump leaked diesel fuel into the creek, killing fish and aquatic plants, Conor Roland of the state Department of Ecology said during the site visit.

Cleanup managers faced a difficult decision to dig up the soil instead of using other methods to remove the diesel fuel, Roland told The Herald.

“There is no standard for something like this. Every time you’re excavating, you’re destroying habitat. In this situation, we had no choice,” he said.

Streamside banks were covered in black plastic for erosion control and rolls of straw-filled netting were being used to divert and contain water in the area that journalists were allowed to see Monday.

A “unified command” of agencies is handling the cleanup, state Department of Ecology liaison officer Brian Kirk said in a statement Tuesday. Agencies include Ecology, the city of Bellingham, Lummi Nation, Nooksack Indian Tribe and Faber Construction.

“Crews are using excavators to remove soil and load it into trucks. The trucks will take the contaminated soil directly to a disposal facility. Sampling results will determine the extent of remediation. Initial work is centered at the 12th Street spill site and may extend near the fish ladder at 10th Street. Any soil removed will be replaced with clean fill,” Kirk said.

A storm that started Thursday night dropped a record 1 inch of rain Friday, causing creek waters to rise above reinforced cofferdams and additional protections that were designed to keep rain from sending more toxic soil and water downstream. Total rainfall from Thursday through Saturday was 1.27 inches, exceeding normal August rainfall of 1.13 inches.

“However, the amount of rainfall exceeded capacity, and Padden Creek returned to its main channel for several hours,” Kirk said. “By early Saturday, crews regained control of the water flow and reestablished diversion. Sampling is underway to determine the extent of contamination.”

Faber Construction is working for the city of Bellingham on a $4.3 million project to widen a culvert near 14th Street and remove a fish ladder near 12th Street in an effort to help spawning salmon and other fish. A diesel pump they were using to divert water leaked 344 gallons Aug. 3 and another 332 gallons Aug. 7, according to previous Herald reporting.

The pump was unattended both times when its fuel line broke, unified command said in previous statements.

Officials said they counted several dead fish at the spill spite, including three coho salmon and two cutthroat trout. No fuel reached Bellingham Bay, they said.

“Hard boom and sorbent materials remain in place along Padden Creek to Bellingham Bay. Wildlife teams continue active monitoring, and no additional impacted wildlife has been observed since Aug. 10,” Kirk said.

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