SPOKANE — The state Department of Ecology determined that an oily substance found on the Spokane River in the Millwood area on Dec. 26 was a mineral oil spilled from equipment at the Inland Empire Paper Company.
Inland Empire Paper Co. is owned by Cowles Co., which also publishes The Spokesman-Review.
“IEP puts the highest priority on its environmental responsibilities,” Doug Krapas, environmental manager for the Inland Empire Paper Company, wrote in a prepared statement. “We are working diligently with The Department of Ecology and our river clean-up partners to recover the lost oil, and internally with mill systems to prevent any chance of recurrence.”
Ecology found that the spill was caused by a cooling equipment failure, according to a status update posted online Wednesday. The mineral oil product used in the equipment is considered nonhazardous and not harmful to people or aquatic organisms, according to the update.
Stephanie May, spokesperson for the Department of Ecology’s Eastern Region, said on Dec. 27 that a 20-yard sheen had been seen the day prior a few blocks downriver of the North Argonne Road bridge, which appeared to have originated somewhere upstream. The substance had no detectable smell, as would be expected from a gasoline or oil spill, and also did not adhere to an absorbent material.
