Grand Coulee Dam’s operators settle over allegations of oil releases into the Columbia River

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has agreed to settle a lawsuit alleging operations at Grand Coulee Dam polluted the Columbia River in violation of federal clean-water laws.

In the settlement filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Spokane, the agency that runs the nation’s largest hydropower producer agreed for the first time to obtain a pollution permit for discharges at the dam.

It also agreed to disclose the amount of oil, greases and other pollutants released into local waters as well as to look into the use of more environmentally friendly oils.

The settlement resolves a lawsuit brought in 2016 by the nonprofit Columbia Riverkeeper, which alleged the federal agency discharged toxic pollution into the Columbia River in violation of federal laws.

The Bureau of Reclamation did not admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement.