A leak in the turbine system at Little Goose Dam in Washington has spilled hundreds of gallons of oil into Snake River. The Army Corps of Engineers estimate between 300-600 gallons of oil spilled into the river over 90 days.
Dylan Peters, spokesperson for the Corps., said “The oil leak happened in an unusual way that wasn’t caught oil monitoring system. Because the oil was leaking back through the system into the turbine itself, it wasn’t giving us the normal readings that you would look for for a potential oil leak. Moreover, it wasn’t creating a sheen on any water, which is a physical indicator that oil is getting into the waterway.”
Engineers will be auditing the dam’s oil system and making recommendations for improvement. The turbine has been removed from service and isolated from the river pending repairs.
Bill Dunbar, a spokesperson with the EPA, said “EPA is continuing to gather information regarding the incident before determining if the spill violates the terms of the new Clean Water Act permit for the dam facility. EPA will conduct a follow up inspections at the dam in the near future.”
Hundreds of gallons of oil leak into Snake River from Little Goose Dam
