COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — When Eric Rouse emerged from Lake Coeur d’Alene at Higgens Point on Wednesday, he said three words after removing his dive mask.
“Lots of oil.”
Rouse had just spent 30 minutes in the 38-degree water on a 28-degree morning inspecting the source of an oil leak first reported last week, as reported by the Coeur d'Alene Press.
To describe how that felt, he was again a man of few words.
“I’m cold.”
Rouse took a video of the site of a buried bulldozer that rests in nearly 100 feet of water. He first ventured down Friday but couldn’t get a clean look due to darkness.
With better lighting Wednesday, he said an original tarp placed there about 25 years ago had been recently moved and crumpled, which explained why oil was bubbling to the surface.
“It looks like somebody drug an anchor into it,” Rouse said.
Ryan Crabtree, Idaho Transportation Department fleet manager, said they will review the footage and work with the Department of Environmental Quality on the next step.
“See what the best course of action is,” Crabtree said.
The oil sheen spotted last week has since dissipated and was not visible Wednesday. Officials said no new oil has leaked up for a few days.
The source was identified as the D9 dozer that fell in the lake during Interstate 90 construction in 1990.
Officials left it alone rather than risk trying to remove it and damaging the lake bed and the spawning area, according to a previous Press report.
Oil leaks were also reported in 2000 and 2010.
“Where it’s leaking from now, I haven’t been able to find,” said Rouse, who dived on the site after the accident 32 years ago and has since made about 50 dives checking on it.
A collector system was originally put in place as a safeguard. Rouse said that is no longer there, but a tarp secured with rocks was put over the site about 25 years ago and underwater buckets were secured to catch any leaking oil.
A second, thicker covering secured by rebar and stakes was put in place about 10-15 years ago, overlapping most of the first.
On Tuesday, ITD had a rectangular-shaped containment boom placed above the site of the oil leak, joining a containment boom along the shoreline.
Wildlife officials said the situation was a minimal threat to migrating bald eagles feeding on the spawning kokanee at Higgens Point.
Rouse said when he adjusted a corner of the original tarp, “that’s when a big glob of oil came out" and floated into his mask.
“That’s oil, I can see that,” he said.
ITD officials watching from above said they saw the oil surface.
Rouse straightened and flattened the original tarp with rocks as best he could to funnel any leaking oil toward the bucket.
“It was catching some when I was looking. There was quite a bit that came out, but then it quit," he said
Rouse said he didn't know if it would be best to try and force out more oil trapped under the tarp or just leave it alone.
Depending on what ITD and DEQ decide, he may return.
“I’m sure I didn’t get it all,” he said.
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