Dam turbine leaks hundreds of gallons of oil into Snake River in Eastern WA

An unknown amount of oil has leaked into the Snake River over the past three months from Little Goose Dam near Starbuck in Eastern Washington, says the Army Corps of Engineers.

Maintenance staff have confirmed a leak in one of the dam’s six turbines used for hydropower generation, the Corps said.

There are indications that 300 to 600 gallons of oil have leaked, some of it into the river, with staff still determining the amount.

The dam is about 29 miles upstream from Ice Harbor Dam, the closest Snake River hydropower dam to the Tri-Cities.

No sheen has been spotted in the river, but oil absorbent booms have been installed to capture any potential additional leaks.

The turbine has been taken out of service and isolated from the river water as repairs are being made, according to the Corps.

“Our team at Little Goose Dam took appropriate actions to remove the turbine from service, assess and contain the leak,” said Paul Ocker, operations division chief for the Corp’s Walla Walla District said.

“As environmental stewards, our goal is to respond swiftly and decisively during oil leak responses,” he said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Coast Guard, the Washington state Department of Ecology and the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission have been notified.

This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 5:00 AM.