What Our Clients Are Saying
The thorough and timely manner in which you handled the problem here on Cascade was much appreciated. Without exception, your people were thoughtful, considerate, and professional. I felt you and your company handled my problem efficiently and carefully, and that we were in good hands.
Sheryl A. Fuller
Oregon State Highway 38 Gasoline Spill; Umpqua River
Client
Project Type
Project Services
Project Description
On September 8, 2003, a fixed frame tanker and tanker trailer crashed on Oregon State Highway 38 near mile marker 19 within the community of Greenacres, Oregon. During the crash the tanker trailer overturned, ruptured, and spilled approximately 6,200 gallons of gasoline. Subsequent accidental ignition of the spill resulted in a fire that killed several trees, spread into the lawn of an adjacent residence, and further damaged the roadway. The highway follows the Umpqua River at the spill site and the immediate environmental concern was potential contamination of the river and possible threats to both human health via surface water intakes and ecological receptors, and particularly fall and spring-run adult and juvenile Oregon coastal Coho Salmon (a Federally listed threatened species), along with fall and spring Chinook Salmon, Winter Steelhead, and Oregon coast Cutthroat Trout (a candidate for listing by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife [ODFW]).
Response to the spill occurred in three phases: the crash response and fire suppression phase, the emergency response phase, and the long-term response phase. The cleanup was performed using cleanup contractors retained by the responsible party in coordination with a Unified Command System (UCS) which included representatives from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the responsible party. BB&A Environmental was retained by the responsible party and, as part of the Environmental Unit along with representatives from the EPA and the DEQ, assisted with planning and execution of actual cleanup activities (e.g., sampling strategies, evaluation of options for management and disposal of impacted soils, collection of soil and surface water samples, data evaluation, and project closure).
The crash response and fire suppression phase took place immediately after the accident on September 8, 2003. During this phase the highway was closed, firefighters suppressed the fire and cooled the truck tanker, and the Oregon State Police conducted an accident investigation. Emergency responders were successful in separating the truck tanker from the tanker trailer, which was wholly destroyed by the fire, and preventing additional environmental damage.
The UCS directed spill response activities during the emergency response phase with the primary objective being to prevent the spilled gasoline from reaching the Umpqua River. To meet this objective, absorbent and hard (containment) booms were deployed along the shoreline downhill of the spill as precautionary measures and approximately 1,575 cubic yards of gasoline-contaminated soil was excavated from the spill area. The resulting excavation was approximately 40 feet deep at the deepest point relative to the grade of Highway 38 and the extent of the excavation was dictated by field and field instrument observations as to the presence or absence of impact as well as safety considerations (e.g., slope stability/headwall collapse). Additional emergency response measures included installation of groundwater monitoring and provisional remediation wells, collection of surface water samples for analysis on a priority rush basis, documentation of the location and use of surface water intakes, and notifying nearby residents and businesses about the spill.
Following the emergency response phase it was recognized that a small volume of residual impacted soil inaccessible to removal represented a potential secondary source of contamination though it was believed that the soil removal had essentially eliminated the likelihood of acute impact to water quality in the Umpqua River. Based on spill response actions and site conditions, the long-term response phase was undertaken. This phase included characterization and off-site disposal of excavated contaminated soil and other wastes according to approved “Waste Disposal Plan,” monitoring impact to groundwater and the Umpqua River from residual gasoline contamination according to approved “Soil and Water Sampling and Monitoring Plan” which included sampling based on cumulative and event-specific precipitation triggers, maintaining existing hard and absorbent booms, site restoration, establishing preliminary action levels which would trigger additional site response (e.g., presence of petroleum seep into Umpqua River), documentation of surface water intakes, preparation of the initial spill response report and compilation of necessary long-term monitoring data and other information to screen for human health and ecological risk and determine need for remedial actions to address any long-term risk posed by site. The DEQ anticipated a minimum one (1) year of groundwater and surface water monitoring data would be required. Site investigation and long-term surface water and groundwater monitoring data subsequently supported a risk-based closure of the site and a final closeout report prepared by BB&A Environmental. The DEQ subsequently issued a “no further action” (NFA) determination for the site.
