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Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 01/20/2015 - Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD), King County, and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) continue to respond to the biosolid spill into Swauk Creek as a result of a semi-truck overturning yesterday, January 19, 2015. Cleanup was initiated using booms to contain the spill and vacuum trucks to remove biosolids from the creek and land surrounding the spill.
Updated information indicates that the spill occurred near milepost 157, which resulted in approximately 30,000, not 60,000 pounds of class B biosolids spilling into Swauk Creek. The semi-truck skidded on black ice and rolled into the ravine. The driver was not injured. The semi-truck originated from King County. King County is taking responsibility for the cleanup of the spill. KCPHD will continue to work with King County and Ecology regarding water monitoring. The initial clean-up has occurred and the first set of samples was collected today upstream and downstream of the spill site. The monitoring plan includes one week of sampling up and downstream from the spill site. Laboratory testing will include fecal coliform, nitrates, ammonia and heavy metals in addition to other tests. Moderate levels of fecal coliforms are already naturally occurring in streams and rivers. KCPHD will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available. Updates and pictures will be provided on Twitter from @ecologyWA as additional information becomes available. For questions, please call the Kittitas County Public Health Department at (509) 962-7515.
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Holly Myers, Environmental Health Supervisor, 509-201-6331