PORT ANGELES — Gov. Bob Ferguson visited near the site of a tanker truck crash that spilled thousands of gallons of fuel into a tributary of the Elwha River west of Port Angeles.
His visit came Sunday, two days after the fuel truck failed to negotiate a turn on U.S. Highway 101, veered off the road, and careened down an embankment before landing upside-down in Indian Creek, according to the Washington State Patrol. The creek feeds into the Elwha River.
The overturned tanker was removed from the creek early Saturday morning. Cleanup crews have deployed containment booms to limit the fuel’s flow and absorbent materials to mop it up.
Contamination from the spill disrupted water service to Port Angeles and killed an untold number of fish.
Ferguson called the crash a “setback” to restoring the Elwha, which saw the landmark removal of two hydroelectric dams in the 2010s.
“There has been so much work, so much effort, so much investment by so many folks here and many others to make this place the place that it is now, to work on bringing back salmon and to restore this really amazing, amazing habitat,” he said in a press conference along the banks of the river.
On Sunday evening, Port Angeles lifted a “do not drink” order for the city’s water supply. City officials said in an announcement at 5:15 p.m. that the state Department of Health, in coordination with the state Department of Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, had tested the water and determined it was safe.
Earlier, the city had said that the tap water in the area was safe for bathing, flushing toilets and doing laundry, but it shouldn’t be used for drinking, washing dishes or making ice until officials gave the OK.
The city distributed free bottled water for drinking and cooking on Sunday. And distribution sites were quickly met with long lines of residents, Mayor Kate Dexter said.
The PetroCard truck, with a capacity of 10,000 gallons, leaked an estimated 3,000 gallons of fuel into the creek, according to the Department of Ecology. Most of that was gasoline and the rest was diesel.
The Department of Ecology responded to the spill a few hours after it happened, sending personnel from the Olympia area, said Alison Meyers, an agency coordinator focused on spill response.
The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe calls Indian Creek the “rockstar” of the Elwha River, as it’s the most “productive and diverse” of the river’s tributaries, said Matt Beirne, the tribe’s natural resources director.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of juvenile salmon, bottom-feeding sculpin and lamprey died in the fuel’s wake, he said.
Tribal Chairwoman Frances Charles said, “Our hearts sank” at the news.
Ferguson, a Democrat who took office in January, acknowledged this is the first sudden disaster he’s had to jump into action to respond to.
“It’s pretty clear to me,” he said, “the level of preparation that goes into something like this. I don’t think anything, maybe, truly prepares you.”
The river is Port Angeles’ primary source of potable water. After the crash, the city shut down water treatment processing and advised locals to limit their water use. At the time, its reservoirs had enough water for up to 24 hours without a disruption to normal service.
On Sunday morning, the city told water utility customers, both inside and outside city limits, not to drink the tap water amid ongoing state testing that was taking longer than expected.
The driver of the truck was taken to Olympic Medical Center after the crash but is now recovering at home, said PetroCard President and CEO Laura Yellig. Authorities accused the driver, a 58-year-old man, of negligent driving.
Yellig said her company takes “full responsibility” for the crash and the resulting impacts.
Ferguson planned to remain in the Port Angeles area until at least Monday morning.
“It is heartbreaking to see what’s happened. There’s no two ways around that,” he said. “We’re going to get through this. It’s going to be a challenge.”
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Jake Goldstein-Street writes for the Washington State Standard (www.washingtonstatestandard.com), an independent, nonprofit news organization that produces original reporting on policy and politics.
Dave Ferguson puts water into a waiting car in a long line of drivers waiting their turn near Shane Park in Port Angeles. Water was distributed on Sunday with the help of city and fire officials. Each driver was asked the size of their household to determine how many water bottles they could obtain. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
