22 Jan 2021

UPDATE: Jan. 13 John Day Dam oil spill amount increases after further inspection – now 65 gallons

After continued inspections and repairs of failed equipment from a Jan. 13 oil loss, technicians at John Day Dam are now reporting the total loss oil to be 65 gallons. The original estimate (Jan. 13) was a loss of 25 gallons.

3 Dec 2020

Turbine at The Dalles Dam spills up to 200 gallons of oil, Corps deploys booms, skimmers and removes unit from service

On Thursday, Dec. 3, a thrust hub cooling water pipe broke, spilling up to 200 gallons of oil into the Columbia River at The Dalles Dam. The equipment is part of a fish unit turbine designed to provide attraction water for migrating fish. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District is dedicated to rapid spill responses and is in the process of containing as much oil as possible. The turbine is now isolated from the river.

15 Jul 2020

Corps spills 100 gallons of oil at Bonneville Dam, removes unit from service

On Monday, July 13, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District (Corps) discovered a Bonneville Dam turbine thrust bearing leaked approximately 100 gallons of oil into the Columbia River. The Corps is dedicated to rapid spill responses and is in the process of repairing the equipment. The generating unit is no longer leaking.

28 Mar 2018

Potential oil spill initiates spill prevention protocol

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has initiated spill prevention protocols today due to the loss of approximately 470 gallons of oil from one of the generating units at The Dalles Dam. The Corps is in the process of determining what happened to the oil. Although there is no evidence the oil went into the Columbia River, the Corps will continue to monitor the waters downstream of the dam.