SPOKANE, Wash. (From news reports) -- A sheen that was discovered in the Spokane River last week was caused by an equipment failure at the Inland Empire Paper Company, the Department of Ecology says.

On Wednesday, the Washington DOE - Eastern Region said a cooling equipment failure at Inland Empire Paper resulted in a mineral oil leak in the Spokane River.

The sheen was originally discovered near the Argonne Bridge in Millwood on Tuesday, December 26, and was heading toward the 9 Mile Falls Dam. A boom was placed while the DOE worked to identify the source of the spill.

The leak was quickly resolved and Inland Empire is working closely with the DOE to recover the rest of the mineral oil.

The DOE says the mineral oil is non-hazardous, non-toxic, and not harmful to humans or animals.

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