Ecology orders Stillwater Holdings Chevron to continue cleanup from gas spill

By on Wednesday, June 19th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

WALLA WALLA – The Washington State Department of Ecology issued an enforcement order Tuesday to the owner of the Stillwater Holdings Chevron, 7 E. Rose St., in Walla Walla. The order requires the gas station’s owner to continue work to reduce harmful vapors and remove contaminated water from nearby buildings until a permanent until a permanent treatment system is installed.

Last month, Stillwater Holdings told Ecology that insurance funds were almost gone and expected Ecology to take over the remaining cleanup, including removing the leaking tank.

Ecology claims Stillwater Holdings has still not provided evidence all its funds have been exhausted. Ecology is prepared to take over and fund the cleanup as petroleum is in the soil and groundwater around the gas station. Monitoring and testing show no evidence of contamination in the city’s municipal water and wastewater systems, and Mill Creek.

On Tuesday, Ecology also released an estimated cleanup timeline in its public participation plan. The plan states because the leaking tank has been emptied, removing the underground tanks will be postponed. Ecology estimates the underground storage tank system will be removed sometime in 2025 or 2026, along with the removal and disposal of contaminated soil, plus the installation of a groundwater pump-and-treat system.

Ecology is also inviting tribal engagement with all decision-making processes for this site, as part of the Model Toxics Control Act of 2023, which was amended in January to strengthen requirements for tribal engagement and public participation for Ecology-supervised cleanups.

The public is invited to comment now through Aug. 16 on the enforcement order and public participation plan documents.

To comment:

Photo via Ecology shows workers removing soil from the Stillwater Holdings Chevron

Elkhorn Media Group