10/1/2010
Contractor assessing extent of diesel spill on U.S. 12
LEWISTON - Tetra Tech, a California-based environmental consultant, began excavating soil along U.S. 12 today to determine the extent of a diesel spill resulting from a tanker crash.
A westbound truck and pup trailer, operated by Keller Transport, Inc. of Billings, Mont., overturned Thursday near Lowell, about 136 miles east of Lewiston, spilling an estimated 8,000 gallons of fuel. At least one of the tanks ruptured when it hit a rock bluff on the north side of the highway.
Preliminary assessments suggest the highway and road base might be serving as a barricade that is containing the spill and keeping diesel from migrating south toward the Lochsa River. Workers found no evidence that the diesel had reached the south side of the highway or that it was seeping toward the river.
Tetra Tech will work during daylight hours this weekend to monitor possible seepage of the diesel. The Idaho Transportation Department reduced the highway to a single lane between mileposts 136 and 137 while the assessment continues. Flaggers are controlling traffic, and motorists are urged to use caution when traveling through the work area.
Until the extent of the spill is determined, ITD is not planning to remove the highway surface or base. Maintenance officials are reluctant to disrupt the highway if it is helping to confine the spill.