Plant spill flows into Hylebos Waterway

09/12/2000

Stefano Esposito; The News Tribune


An unknown quantity of oil and other chemicals from Kaiser Aluminum's Tacoma plant spilled into the Hylebos Waterway on Monday before workers detected the spill and stopped the flow.

It was unclear late Monday how much of the substance might have spilled or when it began. Kaiser officials could not be reached for comment.

The problem apparently occurred when a piece of plant equipment malfunctioned, which released an oil-based coolant into a wastewater pipe that feeds into the Hylebos, said Ron Holcomb, a spill responder with the state Department of Ecology in Lacey.

There were no reports of injuries.

Workers noticed a sheen on the surface of the wastewater about 8 a.m. Monday and stopped the outflow, Holcomb said.

Crews did not retrieve the oil from the waterway because it already had dispersed, said Holcomb, who did not believe the release was particularly large.