It's time for answers on fuel leak

Two years is a long time to go without answers when it comes to water quality in the Flathead Valley. Yet that's exactly what has happened with a gasoline seep into the Whitefish River near the bridge on U.S. 93.

Whitefish City Council member Velvet Phillips-Sullivan started asking the state Department of Environmental Quality about the fuel leak more than two years ago and has publicly expressed frustration with DEQ's lack of action on numerous occasions. On Monday, Whitefish Lake Institute Director Mike Koopal expressed the same sentiment, saying "I've talked to three people with DEQ and I'm frustrated with their timeline to mitigate this."

After all of this time, the state agency does not know where the seep is coming from, though it's possible the foul-smelling effluent is coming from one of Town Pump's underground tanks. Town Pump has cooperated by hiring a consulting firm to drill for soil samples in the area. But the contamination could be coming from some other historic source, officials say.

The state's Kalispell specialist said samples taken two years ago were inconclusive because the "equipment couldn't go as deep as we needed." That, frankly, is a lame answer. Are they going on the assumption that no news is good news?

In the meantime, booms were put in place to contain the spill, but recreationists have told the Inter Lake they're largely ineffective and sometimes end up downriver.

Perhaps the pollution matter will get off dead center now that the Whitefish City Council has decided to write a letter to DEQ and send a copy to the governor. Koopal brought bottles of the gasoline-laced water to the council this week and council members were appalled at the foul smell.

The state also maintains the leak doesn't pose any danger for those recreating on the river since gas vaporizes quickly on surface water. We're not sure we'd want to take a dip there.

The city of Whitefish is right to hold DEQ's feet to the fire. It appears some vigilant oversight will be needed to get the agency to move forward in a timely manner.