SPOKANE, Wash. — The Washington Department of Ecology has determined that a sheen on the Spokane River was caused by a mineral oil leak by the Inland Empire Paper Company.
Crews with the ecology department have been working to clean up the sheen spotted on the Spokane River near Upriver Dam.
The sheen was first spotted in the river last week, west of N. Argonne Road. At that time, the sheen was about 20 yards wide. The ecology department took samples of the sheen but said it was too light to be recoverable.
By Friday, the sheen started to collect in an area near Upriver Dam. The ecology department worked with a contractor to begin cleanup in the area and take more samples.
The sheen has no odor and the ecology department said the mineral oil product spilled is non-hazardous, non-toxic and not harmful to human or aquatic organisms.
The ecology department believes it is an isolated incident, meaning it is not continuing to spill into the river.
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