March 7 - Tumwater Falls oil and PCB spill

I dropped a car off in Tumwater, intending to walk home, taking the trails at the Tumwater Falls Park, the city of Tumwater’s Heritage Park, and along the south Capitol Lake trail.  However, the trails were blocked off, and considerable work was occurring along my planned route.

Construction work at WDFW Tumwater Falls salmon hatchery

At Tumwater Falls, there was a construction crew working on repairs to the 1953 WDFW Fish Hatchery facility.  Then, just below the upper falls, there were signs and barricades due to a toxic chemical spill.

According to the State Department of Ecology, an oil leak was caused by vandals at the former Olympia Brewery, attempting to steal copper from an electrical transformer to fuel their drug habit.  The spill from the former Olympia Brewery on Boston Street SW impacted the Deschutes River, and was first discovered on February 25th and stopped on the 26th.  The spill is believed to have entered the Deschutes River through a series of storm drains.

Toxic oil runoff entered the river just below the Upper Falls

Authorities do not know exactly how much oil spilled, but the transformer had a capacity of 677 gallons.

Photo from Washington Dept. of Ecology

The State Dept. of Ecology is waiting for lab results of oil samples that were collected at the spill site to help identify the product that was spilled. Transformer oil contains PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), a toxic chemical that gets into the food chain.  Although federal law banned PCBs in 1979, there are widespread reservoirs of this toxic chemical in old caulk, electrical transformers, fluorescent light ballasts, and paint.  Laboratory results show the oil contains less than 0.005 percent PCBs (approximately 30 - 50 parts per million).  State Department of Health toxicologist and PCB expert Barb Morrissey promises us that “…this spill does not pose an immediate public health threat.”

The Solution to Pollution is Dilution?

The Department of Ecology, the city of Tumwater, and Thurston County Health Department are working together with the owner of the brewery property on a cleanup plan.  Cowlitz Clean Sweep is the brewery’s cleanup contractor.

Sediment sampling is underway to determine the extent of contamination in the river, lake and connected culverts.

The steps to the base of the Lower Falls were closed off

Multiple lengths of oil containment boom are deployed between the spill site and down the Deschutes River into the north end of Capitol Lake.

Containment boom at the railroad trestle over Capitol Lake

Spilled oil is contained by using boom that floats on the surface of water. The boom helps concentrate oil so that it can be skimmed off the surface of the water and recovered in larger volumes. Skimming physically removes oil from the environment, allows for proper disposal and minimizes environmental impacts.

Boom at the Capitol Lake dam - keeping PCB from Puget Sound?

Apparently, Tumwater Falls Park re-opened today for the first time since the spill, however the park’s trail on the brewery side of the river remains closed.

Overall, the response is going well but is expected to continue for a while, according to Spills Program lead Alison Meyers.  As the website reported, “… the spilled oil does not pose an immediate public health threat.”  Cleanup crews continue to recover oil sheen from the water, and are wearing protective clothing because of their close proximity to the spill.

Upper Tumwater Falls

But, I did get to walk along the west side of the river at Tumwater Falls.  A Dipper was on a log below the upper falls.

As I watched, two Dippers visited a grass clump on the east side of the falls, and one of them entered at the base of the grasses. 

Who doesn't love Dippers?

Hopefully, this is a nest site for them.

Likely nest site?

I continued into the City of Tumwater’s Heritage Park, and indeed, the trail along the shoreline also remained closed.

Away from the water, the Canada Geese loafed, 

gulls hunted for earthworms,

and Robins fed in the woods.

Keeping his eye on the prize . . .

However, the Great Blue Heron apparently did not get the memo about toxic PCBs contaminating her feed.

On my way back out of the park, I passed the Crosby House museum.  I’ve lived in this community for 30 years, and have yet to visit when it is open.

Crosby House

Leaving Heritage Park, I crossed under Interstate 5, finding the South Capitol Lake trail likewise closed.

I hope this path is re-opened by the time the warblers return . . .

So, I walked along the sidewalk to Percival Cove, which is an embayment of the former Deschutes River estuary that was dammed to create the Capitol Lake reservoir.

Mud and gravel from the creek is building up at its mouth, contributing to the sedimentation issues for the lake.

But, there must be good forage for the Ring-necked Ducks.

I left the lake for home, hoping that the oil spill clean-up is successful.

Tumwater Falls Park eBird Checklist is Here

Tumwater Heritage Park eBird Checklist is Here

Percival Cove eBird Checklist is Here