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Sheen on Spokane River originated from spill at Inland Empire Paper Company

Booms are placed near Upriver Dam to mitigate an oil sheen later discovered to be a mineral oil product that spilled from the Inland Empire Paper Company due to an equipment failure.  (Photo courtesy of the Washington state Department of Ecology)
By Emry Dinman emryd@spokesman.com(509) 459-5472

The state Department of Ecology determined that an oily substance found on the Spokane River in the Millwood area on Dec. 26 was a mineral oil spilled from equipment at the Inland Empire Paper Company.

Inland Empire Paper Co. is owned by Cowles Co., which also publishes The Spokesman-Review.

“IEP puts the highest priority on its environmental responsibilities,” Doug Krapas, environmental manager for the Inland Empire Paper Company, wrote in a prepared statement. “We are working diligently with The Department of Ecology and our river clean-up partners to recover the lost oil, and internally with mill systems to prevent any chance of recurrence.”

Ecology found that the spill was caused by a cooling equipment failure, according to a status update posted online Wednesday. The mineral oil product used in the equipment is considered nonhazardous and not harmful to people or aquatic organisms, according to the update.

Stephanie May, spokesperson for the Department of Ecology’s Eastern Region, said on Dec. 27 that a 20-yard sheen had been seen the day prior a few blocks downriver of the North Argonne Road bridge, which appeared to have originated somewhere upstream. The substance had no detectable smell, as would be expected from a gasoline or oil spill, and also did not adhere to an absorbent material.

It’s unclear whether there will be any fines. May said that the focus for now is on cleanup and reducing impacts on the environment.

A spill response team with the Department of Ecology initially found no sheen between the Argonne bridge and the Inland Empire Paper Company to the east, and little to no sheen near where it was first detected. Avista operators later that day reported that a sheen was observed downriver collecting at Upriver Dam. The Department of Ecology used a contractor to collect samples and remediate the spill.

By Monday, responders identified over a mile-long sheen near the shoreline around the Long Lake area in Tumtum, Washington.