SOSC Mike Greenburg with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality(DEQ) contacted the National Response Center(NRC) on April 24, 2005 at 1630 local time to report a confirmed sheen on Beaverton Creek.
On the evening of 4/24/05 the EPA Phone Duty Officer received a call from ODEQ State On-Scene Coordinator (SOSC) Greenburg relating to a spill/release reported on Beaverton Creek near Millikan Way and 153rd in Beaverton, Oregon. ODEQ had mobilized a contractor, NRC Envioronmental Services to find the source and deploy boom/absorbants. The DEQ further informed the EPA phone duty officer that they may be requesting EPA assistance.
Beaverton Creek at the spill location, flows through a wetland. The creek is tributary to Rock Creek which flows to the Tualatin River, a navigable waterway. The Tualatin River is tributary to the Willamette River, also a navigable waterway. The surrounding area is a mixed residential and commercial zone, with a large number of feeder creeks and boarding wetland areas. The drainage system has a high wildlife/waterfowl population and Beaverton Creek flows through the Tualatin Hills Nature Park.
EPA OSC Marc Callaghan was contacted by the DEQ at approximately 1200 on March 25, 2005 with a request to support the State with onsite activities.
EPA mobilized two START contractors to the scene to conduct a removal site evaluation and confirm the presence of oil on the water.
