Cleanup crew finds spilled fuel in Flathead lakebed

Meetings scheduled to address Montana 35 truck traffic

A cleanup crew on Tuesday discovered a small amount of gasoline in the bed of Flathead Lake near Finley Point - the first time fuel has been found there since a tanker truck overturned on Montana 35 seven weeks ago, spilling more than 6,300 gallons of fuel into the ground.

The lake is about 1,500 feet from full pool, and doesn't usually reach the high-water shoreline until after Memorial Day.

"So we still have a huge buffer area to work within," said Stephen Stanley, coordinator for the Lake County Office of Emergency Services.

Cedar Creek Engineering, a Kentucky firm hired to clean up the spill site, had a collection system in place and quickly removed contaminated clay and the pooling fuel, which amounted to a couple of quarts, Stanley said.

The lake itself remains free of gasoline.

"The waters of Flathead Lake have not been affected yet," Stanley said, adding that there is a possibility that could happen.

The fuel spill occurred on April 2 when a northbound tractor-trailer owned by Keller Transport of Billings drifted off the right side of the road and flipped.

Engineers estimate the crash left about 5,000 gallons of fuel in the ground.

The cleanup effort's cost soon will grow beyond the amount of Keller Transport's liability insurance coverage, which pays up to $1 million, Stanley said. A second insurance company will step in and cover additional costs, he said.

The spill forced the evacuation in early April of five homes, three of which were occupied year-round and two of which were seasonal residences, after gasoline vapors were found in their crawl spaces. When the evacuation orders will be lifted is unknown, Stanley said.

In the wake of the crash, Montana Department of Transportation Director Jim Lynch ordered staffers to begin considering options to limit truck traffic on Montana 35, a federally funded state highway.

But trucking-industry representatives have said they will resist any state effort to limit access to the highway. Even though Montana 35 has a lower speed limit than U.S. 93, truckers sometimes prefer that route between the Flathead Valley and Missoula because Montana 35 is flatter and quicker and burns less fuel.

The Department of Transportation on Wednesday announced it will hold two public meetings to discuss safety issues regarding large trucks on Montana 35 and U.S. 93.

The meetings are scheduled for:

. Wednesday, June 4, at the Best Western White Oak Grand Hotel, 4824 U.S. 93, south of Kalispell.

. Thursday, June 5, at the Best Western Kwataqnuk Resort, 303 U.S. 93 in Polson.

Both meetings will follow the same agenda and start with an open house at 6:30 p.m., followed by a presentation from Lynch at 7 p.m. After the director's presentation, the meeting will be opened for discussion.

Opinions, comments and concerns may be submitted in writing at the meeting, by mail to Dwane Kailey, District Administrator, P.O. Box 7039, Missoula, MT 59807-7039, or online at www.mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml. Comments should be submitted by July 7.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com