The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is continuing to investigate a fuel spill in Clear Lake last week that discharged downstream. The investigation began last Friday after a tanker, filling an underground storage tank at the Pilot Travel Center south of U.S. Highway 18 Thursday night, spilled an estimated 300 gallons of diesel fuel. This flowed across the parking lot and an unknown amount entered Willow Creek. The Clear Lake Fire and Police Departments and Pilot staff responded, damming the parking lot to hold the fuel in place until an environmental cleanup firm could pump the mixture of about 750 gallons of fuel and rainwater from the lot. Neither the cleanup company nor the DNR could see the fuel in Willow Creek, however, the rains that occurred most of Thursday caused the creek to rise out of its banks on Friday and most of the spilled fuel ran downstream. The DNR will continue to monitor the situation and consider appropriate enforcement action.
