Cooking oil spill in the Black River wetland in Renton. (Screenshot from Dept. of Ecology twitter post)

Cooking oil spill in the Black River wetland in Renton. (Screenshot from Dept. of Ecology twitter post)

Who put hundreds of gallons of cooking oil in the Black River in Renton?

Dept. of Ecology: ‘Deliberate dumping’ of cooking oil has killed fish, birds; will be expensive to clean.

The Washington Department of Ecology is investigating an apparent dumping of hundreds of gallons of cooking oil in a Renton waterway, hoping to find out who was responsible for the pollution.

Responders were notified of an apparent oil spill in the Black River near a King County pumping station near 550 Monster Road SW. on Aug. 31, according to spill responder Agustina Cartagena-Mclean at the Department of Ecology. She said at first, the oil spill did not seem particularly large, but an oily sheen was soon noticed spanning roughly a half-mile upstream into the wetland.

According to Ecology spokesperson Ty Keltner, it was originally estimated by responders that about 200 gallons of oil were in the wetland, but after closer inspection and initial response efforts, that estimation was expanded to be somewhere between 400 and 500 gallons of cooking oil.

After analysis and testing of the pollutants, Cartagena-Mclean said that safflower oil, soybean oil and peanut oil were among the primarily identified pollutants, leading investigators to believe it was a “deliberate dumping” of waste cooking oil.

But with no obvious truck access to the waterway, and few leads, investigators are not sure how the oil got there and who is responsible.

“We don’t have a source,” Cartagena-Mclean said. “We are kind of at a loss.”

According to Cartagena-Mclean, oil spills such as this one can cause immense harm to a wetland ecosystem, even though cooking oils are not as chemically toxic as other types of oil spills. She explained that oil slicks at the top of the water can prevent the proper oxygenation of the water, effectively suffocating fish and other marine wildlife.

“We found dead fish every other day,” Cartagena-Mclean said as responders already reported finding dead trout and young salmon.

She said the sticky, “goopy,” quality of the oil can damage the feathers of waterfowl and impact their ability to function and survive. Responders found an oil heron that was “emaciated,” as it was not able to hunt for its own food with oily feathers and wings. Cartagena-Mclean said responders tried to take the heron to receive medical care, but the bird died of starvation while being transported.

Keltner said an oil spill clean-up company was contracted to help clean the wetland with floating booms and other methods over the past couple of weeks.

Cartagena-Mclean said the floating booms are a good method to collect oil from the surface of the water without dredging the bottom of the sensitive marine ecosystem. She said this cooking oil spill is “one of the biggest incidents [she has] ever had to manage,” and estimated that a response and cleanup like this could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to manage.

Keltner said that the region has hazardous waste disposal sites to properly dispose of waste oil, and added that even throwing oil in the garbage is better than dumping it or pouring it in the drain.

While the Dept. of Ecology continued to investigate this incident for clues to who could be responsible, they urge anyone who may have information about it to call 360-790-6899 and report it.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in Northwest

Election workers open mail in a new secure room at Thurston County’s elections office. The county invested in a separate room to open mail after it was sent an envelope containing fentanyl last year. (Laurel Demkovich/Washington State Standard)
How one WA county upped security ahead of the election

Thurston County, like others, made changes in response to evolving threats and other concerns around ballot processing.

t
Renton city budget targets public safety, cleanliness, social services

Mayor’s proposal will add eight more police officers over next two years

Courtesy Photo, King County Elections
King County Elections emphasizes safety, security in voting process

Office issues news release in response to ballot drop box fires in Vancouver, Portland

A ballot drop box damaged in a suspected arson incident in Vancouver, Washington, on Oct. 28, 2024. Monika Spykerman/The Columbian/Courtesy of Washington State Standard
Arson destroys hundreds of ballots inside a Washington state drop box

State and federal authorities are investigating a deliberately set fire that destroyed… Continue reading

t
Renton man arrested in Seattle DUI collision that killed 20-year-old

State Patrol arrests 30-year-old man for investigation of vehicular homicide in Oct. 27 Seattle incident

Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. FILE PHOTO
Former Renton High teacher pleads guilty to 2022 sexual misconduct charges

Students says: ‘I thought I could trust you to be my teacher and not my predator.’

Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell and Sound Transit staff stand under Structure C in Kent which includes the longest light rail bridge built by Sound Transit. The bridge was completed recently and they are now moving to the next phase that focuses on the rail itself atop the bridge. KEELIN EVERLY-LANG, Sound Publishing
Sound Transit completes longest bridge in light rail work

Trains to be tested in Kent, Federal Way as early as the end of this year.

t
Missing Auburn woman found safe in Mexico

21-year-old reportedly kidnapped in Auburn

Screenshot of cats inside the apartment from the Federal Way Animal Control body cam footage. Courtesy photo
Over 130 cats recovered from Federal Way apartment

See a video that shows the apartment. Some cats were only a few days old and many still need foster parents.

t
Renton rape linked to 14-year-old unsolved Seattle case

‘We are doing everything we can to protect the 12-year-old victim,’ police say

Example of fentanyl. (File photo)
Auburn couple pleads not guilty in drug-related death of 1-year-old son

Medical Examiner’s autopsy found the boy died from fentanyl, methamphetamine intoxication.

Ring camera footage captured K’Shawn Konscience Jimerson striking Michael Dean Gray with a wooden stick prior to the stabbing, according to an affidavit of probable cause. (Court documents)
Suspect, 19, in Renton handyman stabbing is back in jail after bail increase

Judges increases bail to $500,000 from $50,000; Michael Dean Gray, 65, died Sept. 27.