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'We are its Voice': Warm Springs Chairman Speaks for Columbia River after Chemical Spill by Candice Stilwell Columbia County Spotlight, June 5, 2026

Located on the shore of the Columbia River, the Nippon Dynawave tank implosion
killed 11 workers and released nearly 600,000 gallons of a caustic "white liquor"

The Warm Springs tribal chairman, Dennis White III, has put out a statement regarding a chemical spill into the Columbia River.

The 900,000-gallon spill of "white liquor" came after an industrial tank at the Nippon Dynawave paper mill in Longview, Washington, exploded. In the aftermath, 11 people have died and seven were injured.

"First and foremost, we are saddened to hear of the workers who lost their lives in Longview. We extend our prayers and deepest condolences to their families, friends, coworkers, and the entire Longview community during this difficult time," White said in the statement.

In an article by the Columbia County Spotlight, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said the incident could be "the deadliest industrial tragedy in modern Washington state history."

The statement from Warm Springs ultimately advocates for the river.

"At the same time, we have a responsibility to speak on behalf of the Columbia River," White said. "We are river people. We come from the Big River. Our river is a way of life, and water is life. We have a responsibility to speak for our river -- we are its voice."

White's statement describes the river as "more than a waterway" and explains the tribe's rights regarding the river going back to 1855.

Within the Treaty of 1855 is the right to fish in the streams that go through and border the reservation.

"These rights are not symbolic," White said. "They are legally protected and have been repeatedly affirmed by the United States Supreme Court."

Some of the chemically contaminated water entered the Columbia River and the ditch system, which runs through Longview.

The Columbia County Spotlight reported that concerns about drinking water contamination caused authorities to dilute the contaminated water and push it into the river.

"While reports indicate that river conditions currently meet established safety standards, we can only hope those assessments prove accurate for the well-being of the Columbia River," White said. "We speak on behalf of the river when we say that we pray the effects of this chemical contamination do not impact the future health of the river, its habitat, its fish populations, or future salmon runs."

White said the tribes will continue advocating for "transparency, accountability and the highest level of environmental protection."

"We owe that responsibility to the Columbia River and to the generations who will depend upon it in the future," he said.

Related Pages:
'We are its Voice': Columbia River Must be Protected After Mill Disaster, Tribes Say by Gosia Wozniacka, The Oregonian, 6/8/26