Contaminated soil hauled from tanker crash site on I-5 near Keizer

A cleanup operation was in full gear Thursday to clear contaminated soil following the crash of a tanker truck on Interstate 5 near Keizer last week.

About 1,100 gallons of diesel and 400 gallons of gasoline were spilled after the truck overturned, according to Katherine Benenati, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Quality.

The incident occurred at about 8:30 p.m. Feb. 7 near milepost 261 and closed two southbound lanes overnight while crews from Marion County Fire District #1 and Salem Fire Department Hazmat team worked to limit the spill and remove the truck.

Groundwater samples are being collected to monitor for contamination.

"We’re also sampling two drinking water wells nearby and haven’t detected the presence of petroleum in those wells," Benenati said.

Work is concentrated on the grassy area between the Interstate shoulder and fenced private land.

"There doesn’t appear to be any damage to the roadway," said Lou Torres, a spokesman for Oregon Department of Transportation.

"Since they are doing a lot of excavating next to the shoulder, our only concern is that they aren’t undermining the shoulder."

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About 1,000 tons of dirt had been removed from the spill site as of Thursday and hauled to Short Mountain Landfill in Lane County.

Additional truckloads of soil will also be headed for Coffin Butte Landfill west of Albany.

The work is being handled by a contract crew with oversight from the state DEQ and ODOT.

ODOT worked with the contractor to gain access to the spill site from private property which allows all lanes of I-5 to remain open during the work.

Officials say removal of the soil is expected to be completed before next week.

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