(The Associated Press circulated the following story on January 4.)
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — Initial water quality tests taken near the site of a leak at a 500,000 gallon refueling depot in northern Idaho showed levels of toxic chemicals that don’t pose a threat to public health.
The tests did detect several toxic chemicals in a well near the depot near Hauser, but at concentrations far below federal drinking water standards, according to results released Monday by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. Small amounts of toluene and ethylbenzene were found.
Both have been linked to liver and kidney problems.
The leak was discovered Dec. 10 from a broken depot wastewater pipe, prompting concern for the safety of the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, which supplies drinking water for 400,000 people in two states. Even though the water appears safe, officials say the railroad may still have to clean up the site.
“There doesn’t appear to be any public health risk associated with this event,” said Marc Kalbaugh, site remediation manager for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. “We’re going to evaluate this data to determine the completeness of the investigation.”
The railroad said the fractured pipe at the depot, which opened in September, was apparently carrying wastewater with trace amounts of contaminants. Last week, water samples confirmed that toxic chemicals from a leak at the refueling depot had reached the underground aquifer.
“We’re extremely pleased,” railroad spokesman Gus Melonas said, of news that drinking-water safety doesn’t appear to have been compromised. “We’ll continue to take necessary steps to ensure the protection of the aquifer.”
The Washington Department of Ecology said it will continue to monitor the test results.
A spokeswoman at the Washington Department of Health said petroleum contaminants typically move slowly in the water, meaning it would likely take months for any toxins to reach Spokane, Wash.
“There appears to be no imminent threat to drinking water in Spokane,” said Leslie Thorpe, a spokeswoman for the department’s Office of Drinking Water.
The leak has raised the ire of critics of the depot, who opposed its construction because of its location atop the aquifer. Kootenai County commissioners approved the depot in 2000.
Soil samples released last week showed some contaminant levels well above Idaho limits. Samples from one site showed the levels of naphthalene, a toxic chemical, were four times Idaho’s limit for soils. Other samples indicated levels of benzene and xylenes were more than five times higher than the Idaho standard.
Idaho DEQ officials may ask the railroad to clean up the soil.
Dale Marcy, a chemist and member of the Kootenai Environmental Alliance, said the water samples were “good news.” But he continued to express concern about the elevated levels in the soil above the aquifer.
“There is going to have to be remediation,” Marcy said. “But at this point, it’s good there hasn’t been anything more detected.”