Crews have concluded response and clean-up efforts at the gasoline spill that occurred on Seaview Street in Eastsound.

An Island Petroleum Services tanker truck tipped on its side around 3 p.m. on April 10. The driver of the truck told the Sounder that the truck’s brakes were brand new and “did not hold.” The 5200-gallon tank was leaking 3 gallons per minute of fuel. Orcas Fire and Rescue responders put down a layer of foam to soak up the fuel.

Washington State Department of Ecology response personnel report the scene is stable and there is no additional pollution risk. All contaminated soil has been removed and will be transported to a treatment facility on the mainland. Clean soil will replace the contaminated soil. Soil samples have been collected to verify the findings of the clean-up.

Approximately 300 to 400 gallons of fuel spilled before leaks could be controlled. A cooperative effort overnight between numerous response organizations limited the impact of what could have been a much more serious event. Washington State Department of Ecology Senior Spill Responder, Dick Walker, stated “This incident was handled extremely well by everyone involved- the level of cooperation helped prevent a larger spill.”

Orcas Island Fire and Rescue expresses sincere gratitude to all of the volunteers who responded and remained on scene for more than 24 hours as well as thanks to San Juan County Department of Emergency Management, Washington State Department of Ecology, Eastsound Water Users’ Association, San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, National Response Corporation, Orcas Auto Tech/Orcas Towing, San Juan Fire District 3, San Juan County Health Department, Senator Kevin Ranker and Councilman Rick Hughes.

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