Wenatchee facility source of biodiesel in Columbia River

WENATCHEE – State and federal authorities have identified a Wenatchee fueling facility as the source of biodiesel that leaked into the Columbia River.

The Department of Ecology says samples in the soil and the pipes at Coleman Oil Co. matches samples collected from the river.

The agency said Monday that company worked with state and federal officials over the weekend to excavate parts of their site to find the source of the leak. They found leaky pipes and soil saturated with biodiesel fuels.

In a statement released through Ecology, Bob Coleman of Coleman Oil, Inc. says the company deeply regrets that biodiesel got into the environment and will work with to contain and eliminate the leak.

Ecology says it doesn’t appear that wildlife have been directly impacted by the oil.

The sheen of oil was first spotted on the river March 17.