Looming storm threatens to worsen Bellingham’s Padden Creek fuel spill
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Storm preparation intensified to prevent diesel spread in Padden Creek area.
- Crews installed dams and erosion controls to contain roughly 700-gallon spill.
- Soil removal near 12th Street begins as workers await investigation findings.
Emergency workers were hurrying Thursday to cover contaminated soil along Padden Creek in Bellingham ahead of a weekend storm that could cause the stream to rise and spread diesel fuel that spilled last week, killing fish and aquatic plants.
A worker at the site south of downtown Fairhaven told The Herald that water could become much higher, with a forecast of 1 to 3 inches of rain from Thursday night to Sunday morning. But state Department of Ecology spokeswoman Scarlet Tang was unable to speculate how much the creek could rise.
“It’s going to be extremely busy on site as crews prepare for the expected rain event,” Tang told The Herald in an email.
Thursday’s work focused on preparing for the storm, according to a statement from the five “unified command” agencies working to address nearly 700 gallons of diesel fuel that leaked from a pump being used at a construction site on Padden Creek.
The goal is to prevent diesel at the spill site from going downstream. Preparations included installing temporary coffer dams to allow rainwater to be pumped out into tanks if needed and installation of erosion-control measures to keep contaminated soil at the spill site from being washed away. Staff will be at the site overnight and throughout the rain event to change out sorbents and respond to water levels.
Unified command agencies include representatives from Ecology, Lummi Nation and the Nooksack Indian Tribe, the city of Bellingham and Faber Construction, whose faulty equipment apparently caused the spill.
Meanwhile, workers were getting ready to remove contaminated soil from the site, which is between 10th and 12th streets along the Interurban Trail, unified command said in a statement.
“Removal of contaminated soil is expected to begin this week, as weather conditions permit,” the unified command agencies said in statement released Thursday morning. “Previous sampling and construction work indicate that a shallow topsoil layer lies above a clay layer that is preventing fuel from seeping further down. We have been sampling to determine the extent of contamination.”
Soil removal is focused on the spill site at 12th Street and possibly as far downstream as 10th Street, unified command’s statement said.
“We do not anticipate removing any large amounts of soil further downstream. Any soil that is removed will be backfilled. Soil removal is not expected to affect the stability of the surrounding areas,” the statement said.
How the spill happened
Workers from Faber Construction are working for the city of Bellingham on a $4.3 million project to widen a culvert near 14th Street and remove a fish ladder near 12th Street in an effort to help spawning salmon and other fish. A diesel pump they were using to divert water leaked 344 gallons Aug. 3 and another 332 gallons Aug. 7.
The pump was unattended both times when its fuel line broke, unified command said in previous statements.
Officials said they counted several dead fish at the spill spite, including three coho salmon and two cutthroat trout. No fuel reached Bellingham Bay, they said.
What will it cost?
Tang told The Herald that there was no estimated completion date for the cleanup, and no early estimate of its cost.
State law requires “the party responsible for causing the spill” to pay cleanup costs.
“An investigation will determine the responsible party, but currently we are focusing on the spill response rather than the investigation, so we don’t have that information yet. Potential penalties will be determined after the investigation,” Tang said.
