Priest Rapids Dam oil spill still in cleanup stage
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 months AGO
An estimated 240 gallons of mineral oil spilled into the Columbia River after an incident at Priest Rapids Dam Wednesday.
COURTESY PHOTO/GRANT COUNTY PUD
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | December 4, 2025 7:13 PM
MATTAWA — People downstream of Priest Rapids Dam are being asked to look for evidence of oil on the waters of the Columbia River following a spill of mineral oil at the dam Wednesday. Department of Ecology officials are asking boaters to stay off the river between Priest Rapids and Pasco while crews work to clean up the oil, according to a PUD press release.
Absorbent booms were put in the water to collect the oil downstream of the dam and are still there, said Christine Pratt, public information officer with the Grant County PUD, in the PUD press release. The booms will stay there until the Department of Ecology allows their removal.
About 240 gallons of oil spilt during maintenance of one of the dam’s turbine-generator units at about 1 p.m. Wednesday, the PUD press release said.
Booms were put in the water Wednesday afternoon at the Vernita Bridge, the PUD press release said. Department of Ecology officials are monitoring the water downstream and have closed the Verinita Bridge boat launch to use as a staging area, according to a DOE press release.
It will be up to the Department of Ecology to determine when the booms will be removed, she said.
The oil that was spilt is distilled from crude oil, according to the ScienceInsights webpage.
How the spill occurred is under investigation, Pratt said.
People who see wildlife with evidence of oil on its feathers or fur are asked to contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 800-222-4737.
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