Tanker crash spills diesel, milk into McKenzie River tributary

Diesel and milk spilled into a creek feeding the Upper McKenzie River after a tanker truck crashed near Belknap Springs, sending an immediate response to a corridor that serves recreation, fishing and Eugene’s drinking-water supply. The wreck happened about 4:30 a.m. Friday, May 15, along Highway 126 East near milepost 10, when Oregon State Police said the driver fell asleep and the semi rolled down an embankment.

Investigators said the truck was hauling about 6,000 gallons of milk and released roughly 275 gallons of diesel into the waterway. Emergency crews quickly placed booms in the creek and across Trail Bridge Reservoir, where milk from the spill was visible in the water. The truck was later towed because the spill left an ongoing environmental hazard.

Eugene Water & Electric Board officials said the early containment meant the utility’s drinking water was not expected to be affected, even as crews continued to assess how much material entered the waterway. That matters far beyond Belknap Springs: EWEB says the McKenzie River is the sole source of drinking water for about 200,000 people in Eugene and Springfield.

The response drew in the Upper McKenzie Rural Fire Protection District, Springfield Utility Board, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Region 2 HazMat and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Fish and wildlife staff were monitoring for impacts to fish while watershed crews watched the spill’s downstream movement through the Upper McKenzie system.

The incident also tested a spill-response network that had already been rehearsed at the same spot. EWEB said its McKenzie Watershed Emergency Response System partners had conducted their annual spill drill at Trail Bridge Campground last fall, and the utility’s watershed report says the Trail Bridge Reservoir site has now been visited three times in 15 years for drill work. The 2025 drill, held Wednesday, Oct. 15, brought together utility workers, emergency responders, watershed scientists and hazmat specialists using fast-water containment booms.

For travelers heading through Belknap Springs this weekend, the spill is a reminder that a single crash on Highway 126 East can affect more than a roadside scene. It can send diesel, milk and a full emergency network into one of Lane County’s most closely watched water corridors, where the next priority is keeping contamination out of the McKenzie and away from the water supply downstream.