EPA calling the shots on fuel spill

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has assumed oversight of a fuel spill on Montana 35 near Finley Point.

The agency on Thursday issued an administrative order requiring Keller Transport Inc. to provide a work plan specifying cleanup efforts and a schedule for their completion.

The work plan, which is to be submitted within 25 days, must earn EPA approval before being put into effect.

Billings-based Keller Transport owned the tractor-trailer that on April 2 ran off the road and overturned, dumping more than 6,300 gallons of gasoline.

"Extensive actions remain necessary to fully protect the health of local residents and the renowned aquatic and recreational resources provided by Flathead Lake," said John Wardell, director of the EPA's Helena office.

Engineers estimate there still are about 5,000 gallons of fuel left in the ground.

The cleanup effort's cost soon will grow beyond the amount of Keller Transport's liability insurance coverage, which pays out up to $1 million, according to Stephen Stanley, coordinator for the Lake County Office of Emergency Services. A second insurance company will step in to cover additional costs.

Cleanup efforts launched immediately after the spill - including the maintenance of monitoring wells, a pump system to treat contaminated spring water, and the ventilation of gasoline vapors from five evacuated homes - continue.

So far, no gasoline has been found in the waters of Flathead Lake, Stanley said.

Earlier this month, however, several quarts of fuel were found on the lake bed's exposed clay surface. The lake, still about 4 feet below full, is expected to reach full pool by the end of this month.

Cleanup crews are "just hunkering down for the long haul," Stanley said.

Following 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 truck 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 has scheduled public meetings to discuss safety issues involving large trucks on Montana 35 and U.S. 93.

The meetings are:

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

. 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 Lynch'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