No significant pollution from car landing in McAleer Creek

When we posted the story about the car that flipped upside down into McAleer Creek (see story), a reader commented on possible environmental damage to the stream. I asked the Lake Forest Park StreamKeepers for information and received this report from Mark Phillips.

To the Shoreline Area News:

Amazingly, it appears there was no significant stream pollution from the car that went into McAleer Creek early last Friday morning. This is the word I got from the Lake Forest Park Police Department via several city employees. The car landed upside down in the stream (as shown in the photos from KIRO TV which accompanied your original article) and was removed in that same position. The police report no signs of gasoline, oil, or coolant leakage.

I visited the site, and downstream locations, several days after the accident and saw no sheens or discoloration in the water or stream banks. Except for flare residue on the roadway and a patch of trampled groundcover on the far bank, the site looks remarkably undisturbed considering what happened there.

This is certainly not the first time a car has gone into McAleer Creek along that stretch of Perkins Way/180th Street. Those of us who live nearby regularly hear the sound of screeching brakes, especially at night. As many readers know, it's a winding roadway posted at 25 MPH for good reason. Drivers traveling faster than that, especially under wet or icy conditions, can easily lose control.

Mark Phillips

Co-Chair, LFP StreamKeepers