News Release
| Release Number: | 04-061 |
| Dated: | 4/2/2004 |
| Contact: | Matt Rabe, 503-808-4510 |
> > "At the Bonneville Lock and Dam on the morning of March 31, a solution of what essentially is tap water may have discharged into the Columbia River. The solution was a mixture of 23,000 gallons of water with less than one pint of chlorine. The chlorine concentration in this water was 4 ppm (parts per million). At Bonneville Dam, the Columbia River flows at a rate of about 1 million gallons a second, so any water that reached the river would be further diluted very rapidly.
"The chlorine was part of a compound of 12.5% sodium hypochlorite, a substance used in many municipal drinking water systems. Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is commonly used in drinking water and bleach, and is used as a disinfectant. Drinking water typically has a concentration of 0.5 ppm. Swimming pools typically have a concentration of 5 ppm.
"Beginning late Thursday and continuing into Friday, Portland-area media presented a story to the public about spill. Some of the "facts" presented by the media have caused more confusion than clarity about the incident. The reports also contained a comment from an environmental activist complaining the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to notify the public about the incident. Let us explain.
"Maintenance crews at Bonneville Dam identified the release Wednesday morning and immediately stopped any further discharge of the water. Although they were dealing with a relatively benign substance (hyper chlorinated tap water) that posed no threat to the environment or people, the decision was made to report the incident to federal and state authorities. On Thursday, a representative from the Washington Department of Ecology visited the facility and reinforced the Corps' position that this was not a significant event nor cause for concern. Thus, the decision was made that the release of what was essentially tap water into the river did not warrant a news release to local media and the public.
"We are very conscious about our responsibilities to report spills to federal and state authorities, and the public. Since January 2004, when a large mineral oil spill occurred at The Dalles Dam, the Corps has issued news releases for five subsequent small spills at Corps facilities ranging: two at The Dalles Dam, two at Lookout Point Dam, and one at Bonneville Dam, which involved only 2 ounces of oil. Some reporters questioned our issuing that particular news release due to the very small quantity of oil released. That response influenced our decision during this incident."
Debby Chenoweth
Chief of Operations
Portland District, US Army Corps of Engineers