County ratifies emergency declaration after tanker crash contaminates Indian Creek, impacts Port Angeles water

County commissioners ratified a declaration of emergency on July 21 after a dual-tanker truck rolled off Highway 101 and released fossil fuels into Indian Creek, a tributary of the Elwha River and a primary drinking-water source for the city of Port Angeles.

County staff said the tanker rolled, landed upside down in Indian Creek and began leaking fuel; initial field observations included dead fish in the waterway. The county emergency declaration cited those conditions and the immediate need to contain contamination and contract environmental consultants and labs.

County staff told commissioners that placards on the tankers did not match the shipping manifest, complicating early identification of the cargo. "In the end, it appears that it was a combination of unleaded fuel, number 2 diesel fuel, off-road diesel and standard diesel fuel," the county staff member said. The sheriff contacted county…