At approximately 1600 hours on July 21, a tanker truck carrying over 4,000 gallons of a liquid hazardous waste crashed in the westbound lane of Washington State Highway 14, approximately 20 miles west of Vancouver, WA., losing most of its contents. The hazardous waste was a Class 3 flammable solvent containing a blend of 1-methoxy-2-propanol acetate and isopropanol.
The crash site is located on a steep hillside about 600 feet above the Columbia River, in a tight S-curve of the highway, with steep, heavily vegetated slopes leading down to the river. The site lies 600 yards from the Columbia River. An unnamed creek, which flows to the Columbia River, is also adjacent to the crash site.
The RP mobilized response contractors from the Portland area immediately following the spill. Initial reports from the State indicated that the spill was limited to the highway and soil. However, the RP’s cleanup contractor noted strong odors in the creek about 100 yards from the accident site.
State, Local and other Federal Agency Actions: Washington Department of Ecology deployed a State On-Scene Coordinator (SOSC) to oversee the cleanup. The SOSC established unified command with the RP and Washington State DOT to ensure the immediate cleanup is completed safely. It is expected that this site will be referred to Ecology’s Toxic Cleanup Program for longer-term remediation and monitoring efforts. EPA mobilized an OSC to the site at 1730 on July 24, 2020 to assess the site and coordinate with the SOSC.
