Crews Respond To Oil Leak In Clearwater River

A Lewiston Fire Department official says experts are working to determine the cause of a petroleum leak in the Clearwater River along U.S. Highway 12 in northern Idaho.

Capt. Erik Kelly says that the substance reported Friday is coming out of a 60-foot-wide sandbar just downstream from the Orofino bridge.

Kelly, leader of a five-member Hazmat team, says two absorbent booms have been placed downstream.

Kelly says samples of the substance have been too diluted to make precise identification possible.

The Environmental Protection Agency is investigating.

Associated Press