Port Angeles Issues Citywide Do Not Drink Water Order After 3,000-Gallon Gas Spill

Port Angeles has issued a 'do not drink' water order for all city water customers after a tanker truck carrying gasoline and diesel crashed into Indian Creek, a tributary of the city’s main water source, spilling an estimated 3,000 to 10,000 gallons of fuel. Residents are instructed to use only bottled water for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, and for pets, as boiling or filtering will not make the water safe due to chemical contamination. Testing of the water is ongoing and is taking longer than expected, with some samples requiring out-of-state analysis, while the city’s water reservoirs have reached critical levels. Bottled water distribution sites have been established, and priority deliveries are being made to critical facilities such as Olympic Medical Center. The spill has also caused visible harm to local wildlife, including juvenile salmon and lamprey, and tribal groups are collecting environmental samples. Governor Bob Ferguson visited the site and described the incident as devastating, especially for local tribes and those reliant on clean water from the Elwha River system.