CHENEY — Cleanup of the diesel spill from the Chevron gas station at 2302 1st St. has transitioned from the response phase into a “toxic control phase” according to a report given by Fire Chief Tom Jenkins at the regular meeting of the City Council on Aug. 8
According to the Department of Ecology, the toxic control phase entails periodic monitoring of the site and different clean up methods
About 85,000 gallons of emulsified water, that is, water which has been contaminated with diesel fuel, has been removed from the site and surrounding areas, according to staff report from Chief Tom Jenkins.
130 cubic yards of soil was also cleared from the site and it is in the process of being tested as a part of the ecological impact analysis.
“The toxic control program will help determine if this site needs to go into a toxic registry, which would be monitored for a very long time,” Jenkins said.
A reflective sheen is still visible on the surface of the water at Minnie Creek, so cleanup crews are continuing to lay down absorbent materials to clean up the remaining material from the water, according to Jenkins.
The Cheney Chevron will be bringing in an independent company to complete a two-fire code inspection and test program of all other tanks and infrastructure to determine if any other concerns should be addressed, according to Jenkins.
“I am assuming that someone is supposed to inspect those tanks on a regular basis,” Councilwoman Teresa Overhauser said.
“Yes, I consulted with the DOE’s lead inspector for the area and he said that this is the only tank that is an above-ground tank and it is not under the jurisdiction of the DOE,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said that he and Fire Marshall Tim Steiner have been researching the fire codes and reaching out to Spokane and Spokane Valley fire departments to find out what regulatory agency is responsible for such a tank.
“We had to reach back all the way to the Unified Facility Code and confirmed that it is an above-ground tank and the DOE does not inspect those tanks. There is probably a little bit of responsibility on our part to do our due diligence,” Jenkins said.
“If the Chevron’s independent testing passes the tank, they will likely want to fill it back up and start selling again,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said that he has notified the Department of Health of this ongoing situation and they are not taking the posture that this is a great health concern to the public.
Jenkins also said that he has fielded several questions from the residents of the Presnell Mobile Home Park and has answered them to the best of his ability, insofar as ongoing investigations are not compromised.
Lucas is a former Cheney Free Press managing editor. He is a nationally published author who contributes regularly to several publications across the country.
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