Oregon Public Broadcasting

Workers with the Department of Environmental Quality are cleaning up a spill that is believed to have dumped hundreds of gallons of diesel into the Willamette River in Eugene.  Pete Springer reports.

Employees of Tyree Oil in downtown Eugene noticed a leaky diesel storage tank over the weekend. 

They don't know when the tank started leaking.

But the owner of the company estimates 580 gallons of diesel seeped out before the leak was discovered.

The leak was originally contained to Tyree Oil property, but rain over the weekend washed some of the diesel into storm drains that lead to the Willamette River.

Dave Belyea is an emergency response coordinator with the DEQ.

Dave Belyea “We have about 1300 feet of booms in the river to help collect the petroleum that has entered the Willamette and they are using absorbent pads to basically collect the oil from the river.”

Dave Belyea says so far, the spill has not affected human or animal health.