Colfax cleanup continues

More than a month later, crews are still working to clean up the fuel spilled 3 miles south of Colfax after a semitractor-trailor crashed avoiding a cat that was crossing the roadway.

The semi was transporting two trailers of fuel while traveling south the night of Jan. 15 on U.S. Highway 195 when the second trailer flipped on its side and punctured the first tank. An estimated 6,000 gallons was dumped onto the roadway, the ditch and into Spring Flat Creek at night on Jan. 15, according to past reporting.

The truck was hauling 4,000 gallons of diesel and 2,000 gallons of gasoline, which were mixed during the incident, according to Ty Keltner, communications manager for the State of Washington Department of Ecology. During the night of the crash, crews were able to pump about 4,000 gallons of mixed fuel out of the damaged tanks, but a potential 2,000 gallons of fuel ended up in the environment.

Crews put an absorbent boom into the creek a couple hundred years from the crash site to make a barrier to stop fuel traveling further downstream, Keltner said. A few weeks after the incident, a sheen could be seen in the creek, but the department reports it has now gone away. The boom is still placed in the creek, and Keltner said fuel hasn’t escaped further from the creek into the river.

On the sides of the roadway, crews excavated impacted soil in the surrounding areas and ditch. They dug 7- to 8-foot pits in the ditch to help fuel pool and make collection easier. These pits are still collecting fuel, but Keltner said the spill has been diminishing.

Keltner said the crash site still smells like gasoline, but much of the fuel has been removed. He added leftover fuel has been weathered and is starting to degrade.

The department hired a contractor to examine soil and look for contamination. A mobile lab was placed on site to test how far the pollution had gone. They took samples of the ground and are still assessing if the fuel has gone under the roadway.

Keltner said there are currently no contractors on site, the department is still waiting for test results of impacted soil. Once examination has been completed, crews will excavate ground in the impacted areas and replace what was taken out.

If fuel has migrated under the roadway, Keltner said the Department of Transportation will decide when to excavate the roadway and contaminated ground underneath. Once fuel has stopped pooling in pits dug in the ditch, they will be filled with fresh gravel.

The department has not received any reports of the fuel spill impacting wildlife in the area, according to Keltner. Once soil testing has concluded, the department will assess if any fuel has affected the groundwater supply.

The department does not have a time frame when restoration efforts will be completed. Crews will continue cleanup after examination has been finished.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com or on Twitter @Emily_A_Pearce.