Fuel spill on Oregon highway contaminates groundwater
ADAIR VILLAGE, Ore. -- A massive fuel spill on an Oregon highway that has caused traffic detours and delays for the past 10 days is now looking even worse after wildlife managers discovered fuel contamination has spread into the groundwater.
The Statesman Journal reports E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area managers found out about the contamination on Monday.
"We were hoping it wasn't going to make it here," wildlife area manager Shawn Woods said, according to the newspaper.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife manages the 1,788-acre wildlife area, which is home to dozens of species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, reports the newspaper.
Department of Environmental Quality spokeswoman Katherine Benenati says contamination also has spread to Coffin Butte Landfill on the other side of Highway 99W.
Oregon Petroleum Transport is on the hook for the cost of environmental cleanup and for rebuilding an 800-foot stretch of the highway.
The spill happened when one of the company's double-tanker trucks crashed into a ditch with a load of about 11,000 gallons of gasoline and diesel.
"We responded quickly. Our insurance company responded quickly. We take this very seriously," Terry McEvilly, an executive at the privately held company, said Monday.
The Statesman Journal reports that up to 9,000 commuters use that part of the highway daily.
An investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing. The total cost of the cleanup wasn't immediately known.
