Truck fuel spill near Mill Creek Bridge

A traffic incident involving a truck on Highway 26 on the Warm Springs Reservation yesterday resulted in a spill of approximately 2,700 gallons of gasoline and an estimated 2,000 gallons of diesel, According to Dan Martinez, Emergency Manager for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Public Safety Branch.

In an email to Tribal Leaders this morning, Martinez stated, “A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will require signature by Tribal Leaders to delegate authority for operations, ensuring compliance.” The main objective of today’s incident response is to contain any fuels that could potentially enter Mill Creek Canyon and subsequently flow into the river. According to Martinez, the fuels are currently estimated to be within 50 feet of the edge of Mill Creek Canyon.

An Incident Command Post (ICP) will be established on the south side of Mill Creek Bridge and will remain active until the fuels are fully contained. The ICP will be managed by DEQ staff, with Natural Resources staff providing monitoring. Additional resources will be utilized as needed.

Motorists should expect delays due to heavy equipment in use, and flaggers will regulate traffic with support from ODOT and the State Police. Drones will be deployed to inspect the canyon for any signs of penetrating fuel leakages.

“The estimated recovery time for this operation is one to two weeks, depending on the depth of fuel penetration into the ground,” Martinez said.