“Oil pollution from dams must stop,” states Brett VandenHeuvel, Executive Director for Columbia Riverkeeper. “People rely on clean water and healthy salmon runs. It’s past time for the Douglas County PUD to protect clean water in the Columbia River.”
December 11, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Columbia Riverkeeper Files Lawsuit to End Oil Pollution from Wells Dam
December 11, 2018 (Spokane, WA)—Today Columbia Riverkeeper filed a lawsuit against the Douglas County Public Utility District (PUD) to end unlawful oil pollution from the PUD’s Wells Dam, located on the Columbia River. According to the lawsuit, the Wells Dam spills oil and other pollution into the Columbia River without a water pollution permit required under the Clean Water Act. For example, in 2014, Douglas County PUD reported that the Wells Dam suffered a hydraulic line failure, which resulted in a leak of 2,000 gallons of hydraulic oil, with at least five gallons of oil reaching the Columbia River. The oil spill is one of many described in the lawsuit. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, oil can harm fish, birds, and other wildlife because the chemical constituents of oil are poisonous.
“Oil pollution from dams must stop,” states Brett VandenHeuvel, Executive Director for Columbia Riverkeeper. “People rely on clean water and healthy salmon runs. It’s past time for the Douglas County PUD to protect clean water in the Columbia River.”
Without a pollution permit, the PUD fails to monitor and report pollution in a manner that enables the public to fully understand the extent and severity of the problem.
Today’s lawsuit builds on Columbia Riverkeeper’s 2014 legal victory against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). In 2012, Riverkeeper sued the Corps for failing to obtain pollution discharge permits for eight Columbia and Snake river dams (Bonneville, The Dalles, Ice Harbor, John Day, Little Goose, Lower Monumental, McNary, Lower Granite). The Corps agreed to settle the case in 2014. The settlement required the Corps to apply for pollution discharge permits and investigate using less harmful lubricants in dam equipment. Riverkeeper also settled a similar case against the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Bureau) related to pollution from Grand Coulee Dam. Both the Corps and Bureau have completed studies and taken steps to replace conventional oils with less harmful oils.
Although the Corps and Bureau agreed to apply for pollution permits, Douglas County PUD has not applied for or obtained a water pollution permit. “Public utility districts have the same responsibility as other industrial polluters on the Columbia River. They don’t get a free pass to pollute,” explains VandenHeuvel.
The Government Accountability Office released a report highlighting the impacts of dams and other activities that impair water quality, stating “human health is at risk and certain species, such as salmon, are threatened or extinct.” In December 2016, Congress amended the Clean Water Act by adding Section 123, which requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take actions related to restoration efforts in the Columbia Basin. Despite this focus on restoring the Columbia River, the PUD discharges oil and other pollution without protections afforded by the Clean Water Act.
Columbia Riverkeeper is represented by staff attorneys and Brian Knutsen of Kampmeier Knutsen, PLLC.
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About Columbia Riverkeeper
Columbia Riverkeeper’s mission is to protect and restore the water quality of the Columbia River and all life connected to it, from the headwaters to the Pacific Ocean. Representing over 16,000 members and supporters, Columbia Riverkeeper works to restore a Columbia River where people can safely eat the fish they catch and where children can swim without fear of toxic exposure. Columbia Riverkeeper is a member of Waterkeeper Alliance, the world’s fastest-growing environmental movement, uniting more than 300 Waterkeeper organizations worldwide. For more information, go to columbiariverkeeper.org.