**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
**LONGVIEW, WA – A multi-agency investigation is underway following the discovery of a significant, unauthorized industrial waste discharge into the Cowlitz River early this morning.**
**WHAT:** An estimated 500-gallon release of an unidentified, potentially hazardous chemical agent. The substance, described as a viscous, dark-colored liquid with a strong hydrocarbon odor, was observed entering the waterway.
**WHO:** The Longview Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Team, in coordination with the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office, has secured a one-mile radius around the discharge point at Industrial Way.
**WHEN:** The initial report was received at approximately 02:17 AM Pacific Time from a night-shift security guard at a nearby facility.
**WHERE:** The specific location of the breach has been traced to a stormwater outfall pipe near the 1400 block of Industrial Way, Longview, Wash.
**WHY:** The cause of the discharge remains under active investigation. Preliminary assessments indicate a possible failure of a containment system at an adjacent, unnamed storage facility. Authorities have not yet confirmed the source facility or the exact chemical composition of the pollutant.
**CURRENT STATUS:** A Unified Command Post has been established. Booms and absorbent barriers have been deployed to contain the plume and prevent downstream migration toward the Columbia River. The Longview public water system reports no immediate threat to municipal drinking water, but residents are advised to avoid direct contact with the river in the affected area.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been notified. A full environmental impact assessment is pending sample analysis, which is expected within 48 hours. No injuries or evacuations have been reported at this time. This is a developing story.