By Kevin Hanson-The Courier-Herald
A major diesel spill that fouled the ground and water near Crystal Mountain continues to be the focus of cleanup efforts this week.
Puget Sound Energy has been working with state and federal agencies since Nov. 3, dealing with an estimated 18,000-gallon leak of diesel fuel from the company's backup electricity generator. The industrial-size generator sits on Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest land below the ski area.
Curt Hart, spokesman for the state Department of Ecology, said PSE has three underground storage tanks at the site. At some point, he said, fuel continued to be pumped even though it wasn't needed, forcing unused fuel onto the ground.
Emergency cleanup crews from PSE, the Department of Ecology and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have been working since the initial report of the spill to contain the diesel fuel and protect the nearby wetlands and Silver Creek.
Efforts were hampered by heavy rains that caused flooding in the area, saturated the ground and filled Silver Creek, causing it run much faster than usual.
The spill's cause is still under investigation.
Two days after the spill, fuel was observed in Silver Creek, which is approximately 1,200 feet from the spill site and about 15 miles upstream from the community of Greenwater.
That gives clean-up efforts added importance, since Silver Creek is an important salmon-bearing creek. State and tribal fish and wildlife officials have been conducting wildlife surveys in the area and downstream of the spill site.
Working with the U.S. Forest Service, PSE quickly notified homeowners in the area about the spill and recommended safety precautions such as bottled water.
Very few residents were found immediately downstream from the spill, according to PSE spokeswoman Dorothy Bracken. The agency was attempting to remain in contact with others who may soon visit cabins in the area, she added.
Hart said work crews used absorbent materials to soak up diesel on the ground and a 100-foot trench was quick dug to channel diesel away from the creek.
The problem, Hart said, is fuel likely seeped into the rocky ground, making recovery difficult. Crews continued this week boring test holes, looking for pockets of fuel that could be suctioned from the ground.
Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@courierherald.com.
