River to be diverted during cleanup

Cleanup work on the Whitefish River has moved beyond the Baker Avenue bridge.

“The cleanup is moving along very well,” Jennifer Chergo with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said through an email last week.

The Whitefish River is being cleaned up after petroleum products were found in the river sediment at several sites. About 14,800 cubic yards of material are expected to be removed from the river this year.

Crews are working downstream of Baker and the river is closed to Spokane Avenue for safety reasons.

“BNSF still anticipates completing the project by the end of the year,” Chergo said. “That means they plan on cleaning up all of the areas of contaminated sediments down to Spokane.”

A hydraulic dredge is being used to remove the petroleum-contaminated sediment and water. It’s transported up the river to ponds at the BNSF yard where the sediment is separated from the water, is treated and then the water is returned to the river. After testing confirms sites where the sediment have been removed are clean, crews are backfilling with gravel in those areas.

The barge was moved around the Baker bridge, which is too low for the barge to clear, and returned to the water. The barge was removed from the water at the BNSF railyard and an access road near the Super 8 motel was used to transport the barge back to the river. The road will be used again to remove the barge from the water when work is complete.

Chergo said a few smaller areas of contaminated sediment are expected to be cleaned up below Spokane.

“They will probably divert small sections of the river in a few areas where there is contamination in the sediments,” she said. “They will likely not use a hydraulic dredge from a barge on the river, but instead will probably dig the sediments up using an excavator from the shore.”

Work is currently in its fourth phase to cleanup the river. The project was initiated after the EPA received a report in 2007 of an apparent sheen at several locations along the river. Citing the Oil Pollution Act, EPA ordered BNSF to clean up petroleum contamination from the Whitefish River and to restore it to as close to pre-removal conditions as possible.