Boat ramps on the McKenzie River near Springfield remain closed until further notice as cleanup continues after an oil spill earlier this month.
About 200 gallons of hydraulic oil leaked from an International Paper mill pipe into the river. Katherine Benenati is with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. She says crews have extracted all of the oil out of the pipe and jet-washed it. They expect to test the pipe Wednesday.
“What they’ll do is they’ll ramp the water up gradually and keep an eye out for any kind of oily sheen and at this point the boom has been deployed across the river and it’s there as a precaution.”
Benanati says crews will continue to monitor the area to see if the oil spill has any effect on wildlife. Officials say it didn’t threaten drinking water supplies.
The Hendricks Bridge, Bellinger and Hayden Bridge Boat ramps on the McKenzie are closed until further notice. Check the Lane County website for latest conditions.
