KITTITAS COUNTY, Wash. — Cleanup crews have removed most of the palm oil that spilled after a tractor-trailer went off Interstate 90 near Ellensburg and ended up in an icy retention pond, according to an update from the Washington Department of Ecology.

The crash happened Wednesday near milepost 107, where the semi pulling two trailers left the roadway and crossed four lanes before coming to rest about 50 feet off I-90 in a detention pond roughly 4 feet deep. The Washington State Patrol previously said the crash was caused by distracted driving, and noted the truck was not blocking lanes and did not impact traffic.

Ecology officials said the pond was covered by about half an inch of ice when the truck entered the water. The tractor-trailer was believed to be hauling up to 68,000 pounds of palm oil, but most of the product remained contained in the trailers. Officials estimated about 200 to 300 gallons of palm oil ended up in the water. Diesel fuel did not leak from the semi’s tanks.

Because a culvert connects the detention pond to the Yakima River, Ecology’s spill team worked with the Yakama Nation to deploy an absorbent boom to protect the culvert and the river. Additional absorbent material was used to help prevent any product from escaping. Officials said no oil sheen has been observed on the water and nothing has gotten past the initial spill boom.

A cleanup contractor responded at about 9 p.m. Wednesday, and Ecology said the cold weather helped solidify the palm oil, making it easier to recover. By Friday morning, most of the spilled palm oil had been removed. Antifreeze from the truck was also cleaned off the ground.

Ecology spokesperson Brittny Goodsell said crews plan to restore the ground near the retention pond on Tuesday, bringing in new rock to replace areas impacted when workers pulled the semi from the pond and set it ashore.

“The ice on the pond has thinned a bit, but not enough for us to pull the ice out of the water yet,” Goodsell said in an email. She added that warming temperatures this weekend should melt the remaining ice, allowing crews to bring in a vacuum truck to remove any palm oil trapped beneath or within the ice.

“From what we can see, this spill has not impacted the Yakima River,” Goodsell said, calling it the kind of outcome responders hope for in a situation like this.

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