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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 16, 2005 Tainted spring headed for clean bill of health By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Talk among the folks who live on the winding Old Siskiyou Highway near the summit turns each fall to the upcoming ski season, good food and how the cedars in the rain create a unique outdoor potpourri. "We had a community potluck here a few weeks ago and that’s what we talked about — our potluck," Callahan’s Lodge owner Ron Bergquist said. "It didn’t come up at all." It is the after-effects of an Interstate 5 truck wreck and herbicide spill last year that contaminated a creek, tainted some drinking wells and caused an uproar among the normally quiet Siskiyou Summit community that found itself concerned over a smelly water spring and possible declines in property values. But the once-lingering smell of the herbicide Weedar 64 in the community spring is gone, and the spill area is poised to get a clean bill of health from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality a year after the spill. A draft environmental analysis set to be unveiled Monday concludes that the remnant contaminants from the spill are virtually gone and no more tests are necessary. Advertisement That also means no more bottled water for those who live in the dozen or so residences downhill from the spill site just north of the Siskiyou Summit. No more filters on their well water. No more worry. "Thank heavens," said Mary Anne Wallace, whose well showed trace amounts of the herbicide chemical 2,4-D from the spill. "The water tastes fine," Wallace said. "There’s no smell or anything. But I kept wondering. I wonder if it’s OK. I wonder if it’s OK." On Oct. 23, 2004, an Oak Harbor Freight Lines truck swerved on I-5 to avoid a deer and overturned, spilling about 500 gallons of Weedar 64 near milepost 6. The herbicide tainted dirt as well as nearby Carter Creek before eventually working its way into the water table. While a private environmental firm was called in to clean up the tainted water and dirt, the DEQ immediately ordered groundwater tests for fewer than a dozen downhill water sources. The tests were ordered because 2,4-D can cause nervous system, kidney and liver problems in people exposed to high levels. About 45 days after the spill, some neighbors complained that their water began to smell and taste odd. Tests on some of those water supplies later showed traces of 2,4-D or the breakdown agent. After spring rains, however, the various wells and Carter Creek showed only trace or undetectable levels of 2,4-D, and none of the wells ever tested at what the Environmental Protection Agency considers to be unsafe levels. During more well tests in late June, the only trace amounts of 2,4-D or its breakdown agent were detected in Wallace’s well, according to a draft cleanup report. Mysteriously, there were no herbicide chemicals detected in Wallace’s water tank,, which holds water for use in her home and barn, the draft states. Tests of the soil between Carter Creek and the well showed no herbicides, and the source of the herbicide remains unknown, the draft states. "They couldn’t explain it to us, either," Wallace said. Still, the family removed their filter a month ago, she said. "It was great," Wallace said. The cleanup, testing and water filters cost close to $300,000, of which Oak Harbor had to pay $250,000, said Larry Hansen, the safety manager for Oak Harbor, which is based in Auburn, Wash. The rest, Hansen said, was covered by insurance. "We’ve tried to do the best job possible and make sure (residents’) concerns are addressed," Hansen said. "We hope we’ve done the right thing and can move on." The draft environmental analysis, which was done by the Eugene firm of Bergeson-Boese and Associates, must get DEQ review before it becomes final, said Angie Obery, who manages this cleanup for the DEQ. After the review, the DEQ will have a 30-day comment period on the report, and Obery said she also plans to hold a public meeting to take comment and answer questions. The meeting has not been set, but the draft report will be posted Monday on the DEQ’s Web site at http://www.deq.state.or.us/wr/LocalProjects/OakHarbor/OakHarbor.htm . With cleanup crews and water samplers long gone from the Siskiyou Summit, so goes talk of Oak Harbor, Weedar 64 and smelly water. "It seems to have quieted down the neighborhood," said Bergquist, who since the spill sold two downhill properties after initially worrying that the spill would harm their value. "There’s a couple dead cedars near the culvert where the (herbicide) foam was," Bergquist said. "That’s the only residual thing I can think of." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail Tainted spring headed for clean bill of health ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Advertisement s