US Army Corps of Engineers ®

News Release

Release No: PA 05-007

Contact: Heidi Y. Helwig

For Release: January 24, 2005

Phone: (503) 808-4510

Small oil spill reported at Bonneville Lock and Dam

Portland, Ore.-Powerhouse operators at Bonneville Lock and Dam reported an oil spill from a submerged gearbox, resulting in the release of a small amount of oil into the Columbia River, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced today.

Crews believe a maximum of 15 gallons, but likely far less, of oil was released and that none of it escaped past the dam. Powerhouse operators discovered the leaking gearbox at about 10 a.m. Sunday. The unit has been out of service since Jan. 20. The gearbox operates a submersible screen, which helps keep juvenile salmon and steelhead from coming into contact with operating turbines within the powerhouse.

When full, the gearbox holds a maximum of 15 gallons of oil, therefore the Corps notified federal and state authorities to report a maximum potential of 15 gallons. Crews are unsure, however, how much of the 15 gallons may have leaked from the unit, but they say the oil was contained entirely within the gate slot on the upstream side of the dam. Absorbent materials were used to soak up the oil. No sheen has been detected either upstream or downstream of the dam.

Maintenance crews will transfer the gearbox today to an isolated area to inspect it, determine the actual amount of oil leaked from the unit and make needed repairs. The absorbent pads used to soak up the oil within the gate slot will be disposed of via the Corps' waste disposal contractor. -30-