Walla Wallaโฃ Gas Station Ownersโค Face $4.8 Million Penalty for 2023 Leak
Walla Walla,โ WA – The ownersโข of the Marcus Whitman Hotel โare facing a $4.8 million โenforcement order from the โWashington State โDepartmentโ ofโ Ecology (Ecology) following a critically important gasoline leak discovered in September 2023. โThe leak, estimated at 2,500 gallons, contaminated groundwater and impacted neighboring buildings in downtown Walla Walla, prompting evacuations andโค remediation efforts.
Stillwater Holdings, theโ responsibleโ party, informed โฃEcologyโฃ in May โขthat โคtheyโ were unable to โfund further cleanup work, shifting the financial burden and oversight to the state. while legally obligated to address the pollution, emergency response, and full remediation, the company’s financial constraints โtriggered ecology’s July 2024 enforcement order.This order mandates immediate action to mitigate harmful vapors and remove contaminated โwater from affected properties.
The incident began with reports of gas odors at the Marcus Whitmanโ Hotel, leading to itsโ evacuation. Subsequent testing revealedโค the presence โขof potentially dangerous โvapors and โgasoline inโ the hotel basement and extending โto nearby structures. Emergency responders ventilated the buildings โto prevent โanโข explosion and pumped drainage systems – known as sumps โค- to โreduce vapor โฃconcentrations.Ecology’s enforcement order requires Stillwater holdings toโ comply with stringent cleanup standards and timelines. The $4.8 million penalty covers the costs the state will incur to complete the โฃnecessary environmentalโค remediation, protecting public โฃhealth and the local habitat.โข Theโ agency willโ oversee the โฃremoval of contaminated water and the โฃongoing monitoring of groundwater quality.