Sludge, Oil Dumped Near Downriver Drive

More than 100 gallons of sludge and heavy oil were dumped on a turnoff from the 4400 block of Downriver Drive, below the Downriver Municipal Golf Course.

The Spokane Fire Department responded to the dumping at 1:44 p.m. Sunday, Battalion Chief Joe Stapleton said. The department suspected a commercial operation dumped the oil and sludge.

A passerby said the oil was also on the road Saturday.

On Sunday the Fire Department sealed off the area. With the help of workers from the Department of Ecology, firefighters used an absorbent compound to soak up the material.

The Department of Ecology will investigate the dumping today and dispose of the oil and sludge.