The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is pressing state and federal officials to maintain focus on the long-term health of the Columbia River following the May 26 disaster at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging plant in Longview, Washington, where a catastrophic tank failure killed 11 workers and released nearly 900,000 gallons of highly corrosive “white liquor” into the environment.
While emergency environmental response crews have made progress in containing and cleaning up the chemical release, the Warm Springs Tribe has voiced concern that short-term cleanup attention may not be enough to protect the river’s long-term health — and the tribal communities that depend on it.
What Was Released
White liquor is a caustic chemical solution used in the paper pulping process, composed primarily of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide. During the Longview emergency response, heavily diluted chemical wastewater was directed toward the Columbia River after treatment options were overwhelmed. Environmental crews have since been monitoring the river for chemical concentrations and impacts on fish and aquatic ecosystems.
Why It Matters for Warm Springs
The Columbia River is central to the cultural, spiritual, and economic identity of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Tribal members hold treaty-reserved fishing rights on the Columbia that predate Oregon statehood, and salmon and other fish remain vital to tribal culture and diet.
Any significant degradation of Columbia River water quality or fish populations ripples directly back to the Warm Springs Reservation, even though the reservation itself sits along the Deschutes River drainage, well inland from the spill site.
The Tribes have not released specific technical demands but have called for the incident to remain a priority for regulators even as the acute emergency phase winds down. Tribal environmental and natural resources staff are engaged in ongoing monitoring and communications with state and federal agencies.
Context: A Pattern of Advocacy
The Warm Springs Tribe has been increasingly vocal in recent years on environmental issues affecting the Columbia Basin. The Tribes received a federal Statesmen Award at the 2026 Wild Sheep Show in Reno earlier this year for their successful reintroduction of California bighorn sheep — a herd that has grown from a small founding population in 2002 to more than 300 animals — a sign of the Tribe’s long-standing commitment to natural resource stewardship in Central Oregon.
The Longview spill investigation remains active. Updates are being provided by the Washington Department of Ecology and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.