(The Associated Press circulated the following story on January 25.)
SPOKANE, Wash. — The City Council is demanding an independent analysis of a fuel spill at a Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. facility in Idaho that threatens the region’s drinking water supply.
Council members voted unanimously Monday night to express their concern about the spill at the new refueling station in Hauser, Idaho. The resolution called on the railroad to take all steps needed to clean up the contamination, and asked for an independent analysis.
Spokane Council President Dennis Hession said he wants to maintain good relations with Idaho neighbors, but the water supply must be protected.
“They are upstream from us,” he said Monday. “It is important they be good stewards and probably better stewards with our water.”
In Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Kootenai County Commissioner Rick Currie said earlier Monday that he was uncomfortable with Spokane getting into the mix.
“It’s our problem. We have jurisdiction and we’ll handle it,” he said.
The 500,000-gallon refueling yard opened in September, and is located about 150 feet above the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, which is the sole source of drinking water for about 400,000 people in Spokane County and Kootenai County, Idaho.
An 8-inch plastic pipe that connects two containment areas was found leaking directly into the ground over the aquifer on Dec. 10.
The pipe was supposed to transport wastewater laden with diesel oil and coolant from one containment area to another. It may have been damaged during construction.
While early investigation showed some contamination reached the aquifer, the amount of contamination is not considered enough to threaten human health.
“Even though they assured us from day one it would not leak, it leaked from day one,” said John Osborn of the Sierra Club, who spoke in favor of the resolution. “Unbelievable.”
The resolution also called for involvement of regulators from Washington as well as Idaho to protect the shared aquifer.
The resolution was offered by City Councilwoman Cherie Rodgers, for years the lone opponent on the project on the council.
“I’m proud of this council,” she said Monday. “It’s the first ever to take a position on the aquifer.”
The aquifer is an underground river that flows westward through gravel deposits straddling the border between Idaho and Washington.
Rachael Osborn, a water lawyer who represents the Sierra Club and Friends of the Aquifer, said the people who depend on the aquifer shouldn’t have to rely solely on Burlington Northern’s consultant to ensure aquifer protection.
“It is appropriate to have an independent analysis of the cleanup as well as the engineering of the facility,” she said.