<div>WALLA WALLA, Wash. — A state settlement over the 2023 downtown Walla Walla fuel spill lowered the financial penalty while keeping the cleanup moving forward.The Washington Department of Ecology said a cleanup effort that has lasted for years is now moving into a new phase.The spill happened at a downtown Walla Walla Chevron, where nearly 2,500 gallons of gasoline leaked underground and forced evacuations and shutdowns.The Department of Ecology said it reached a settlement with the site's owners more than two years later. The agreement cut the original fine by almost 95 percent.The agency pointed to the size of the original costs as it explained the settlement."The initial penalty of 738,000, and then the cost recovery of 4.1 million is a significant amount of money," Brook Beeler with the Department of Ecology said.Ecology said it made that reduction on purpose. The agency explained it wanted accountability without increasing the chance of ending up with an unused contaminated property in downtown Walla Walla."It may have been reduced significantly… but we were able to get some cash from the responsible party to help support the ongoing work," Beeler said. "We might end up with an abandoned site in the heart of Walla Walla, and that’s not good for the economy," Beeler said.Under the settlement, the state gets partial payment now while the business can keep operating and cleanup work continues. The state said it has already spent more than $4 million managing the spill.That work included pumping and treating contaminated groundwater, especially under the Marcus Whitman Hotel."We send our contractors in every other week to pump the contaminated groundwater… and move that contaminated water over to a treatment system," Beeler said.Ecology said a permanent system is expected later this year. Full cleanup, including removal of aging underground tanks, was projected through 2027.The agency said money recovered through the settlement goes into state accounts for environmental restoration. It also said some costs remained on hold."The remainder is going to be held in abeyance… and if those conditions aren’t met, then we can go back to the responsible party," Beeler said.Officials said more cleanup costs could still be recovered through a lien on the property. For now, Ecology said its focus remained on long-term recovery in downtown Walla Walla."We made sure that had a site that was clean for the downtown business of Walla Walla, and didn't leave them with an abandoned site that wasn't ever going to be cleanup in the long run," Beeler said.Ecology said the owners had 30 days to pay the reduced penalty or appeal.</div>

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WALLA WALLA, Wash. — A state settlement over the 2023 downtown Walla Walla fuel spill lowered the financial penalty while keeping the cleanup moving forward. The Washington Department of Ecology said a cleanup effort that has lasted for years is now moving into a new phase. The spill happened...

Walla Walla fuel spill settlement sets next cleanup steps

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WALLA WALLA, Wash. — A state settlement over the 2023 downtown Walla Walla fuel spill lowered the financial penalty while keeping the cleanup moving forwar

Walla Walla fuel spill settlement sets next cleanup steps

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