Various local and state agencies said they are still out thousands of dollars from a 2014 chemical leak that shut I-90 down for hours.
"We've been playing phone tag, but it's getting a little old," said Andy Hail, Spokane Valley's Deputy Fire Chief.
Dimethylamine anhydrous leaked in September of 2014 and shut the roadway down for 19 hours. Crews said they were on scene during the whole time, trying to keep the small leak from becoming disastrous.
Half a dozen state and local agencies said they have accrued $80,000 in debt, well above an ordinary emergency response cost.
"From our perspective, if we did not take the appropriate actions and it was more severe, then where would we be?" said Hail.
Representatives with the McKenzie Tank Lines, the transportation company that caused the leak, has told crews they overreacted. "They said were willing to settle for about 30 cents on the dollar, and we said, we're not really that interested in taking 30 cents on the dollar. Therefore, we're going to pursue our claim for full reimbursement," said Hail.
The State Department of Transportation recently accepted a settlement of about 65 percent of its costs.
Hail said Spokane Valley's portion of the reimbursement costs is about $10,000 and that they are willing to wait for it.