Former city employee accuses Pocatello of illegal oil dumping

New details are surfacing Tuesday on the ongoing investigation behind whether or not the city of Pocatello has been illegally dumping oil onto a de-watering facility.

The family of the former city employee first contacted Local News 8 and KIDK Eyewitness News 3 in early February, asking us to look into his claims this was happening.

The former employee and his family asked to stay anonymous for fear of backlash while pursuing other career opportunities.

On Tuesday, we spoke with the family who said they just want to see something done to protect the health of Pocatello residents.

After posting a video to his Facebook page showing a truck dumping dark liquid onto the de-water site he claims to be oil, that has sparked conversation across the Internet.

However, the city said those claims are absolutely not true.

“We are not dumping oil onto these pads,” Pocatello Science and Environment Manager Hannah Sanger stressed. “We use that oil we collect at our facilities to heat buildings. So, to dump it would be counterproductive.”

Sanger said the dark liquid is actually dirty wash water that’s been extracted from catch basins on city streets. That water is then poured into the de-water facility where the water evaporates and the leftover sediment and waste is scooped-up and properly disposed at the landfill.

“The dirty water is that color and what runs into the Portneuf River when it rains is often that color. It’s gross,” Sanger added.

She said this whole process prevents that dirty water from running into the Portneuf River, which has been what she has been fighting to protect.

On Tuesday, the Department of Environmental Quality’s Doug Tanner said the department is currently investigating this issue and will continue to work with the city to make sure everything checks-out.

He added, part of the investigation has been looking at the impact this could have on neighbors who live nearby the facility along Kraft Rd. He said those folks are part of the city’s water system so there are no private wells intersecting with their water supply source. This means, their drinking water is safe.

Overall, Sanger said this whole ordeal has been a good opportunity for the city to look at making sure management of the facility and waste water is up to date.

“This is a great chance to dive in deep and change things that need to be changed, but hopefully we’re already there,” Sanger said.