A tractor trailer owned by Fairbanks-based Colville Incorporated went off the Dalton Highway about 30 miles north of the Yukon River Bridge Wednesday.
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation on-scene coordinator Tom Deruyter says the truck rolled over, spilling between 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of diesel. He says the diesel spilled in a forested area with about 3 feet of snow cover, and state responders and a Colville-hired contractor are preparing for a cleanup.
“The snow will have to be removed, melted and then the fuel recovered out of the snow,” DeRuyter said. “It’s also anticipated that there’s going to be fuel in the duff layer around the trees. Now whether they try to do a removal around the trees or just clear the area and do an excavation, that has yet to be seen.”
DeRuyter says the make up of the sub-soil will determine how deep the fuel penetrates.
He says the driver of the truck is OK.
Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
