On 0745 PDT, March 12, 2012, a Cascade Petroleum Company truck and pup configuration carrying 10,000 gallons of gasoline and diesel skidded off the road on Highway 58 near mile marker 31 in the area of Westfir, Oregon. One compartment on the pup was damaged releasing 1,700 gallons of gasoline into a road side ditch, wetland and un-named creek on Forest Service land that connects with the Upper Willamette River. The Responsible Party immediately hired a cleanup contractor, SMAF Environmental, and placed boom and absorbent pads in the ditch and creek. The western region state OSC and two spill responders from Oregon Department of Environmental Quality responded to oversee the cleanup. Traffic on Hwy 58 was completely blocked in both directions and nearby residents were evacuated due to strong vapors. Later in the evening the highway was opened in the northwest bound direction and, as residents called in for an update, were told they could return to their homes.
EPA OSC Richard Franklin and two START contractors from the EPA Portland office were dispatched to the scene and arrived around 1530 hours. No product had reached the river. EPA OSC Kathy Parker as simultaneously dispatched from the EPA Seattle office and arrived at the scene at 1945 hours to relieve OSC Franklin.
The remaining fuel in the truck and pup were pumped to a receiving tank truck and the damaged vehicle was towed from the site between 2000 and 2100 hours. Two underflow dams constructed earlier in the day were re-assesssed and reconfigured to more effectively block product floating on the water from moving downstream. START monitored VOCs and benzene in air near the spill to determine whether the cleanup workers needed to take respiratory precautions. Levels were low enough not to be an explosion hazard although SMAF still cautioned its workers not to smoke at all on the site. VOC levels indicated some concern for site workers breathing the vapors while working with the used pads and boom material. SMAF also collected water samples to assess the effectiveness of the booms and dams.
The next day, Tuesday March 13, 2012, the first ICS tactics meeting was held at 1000 hours with Unified Command (ODEQ, EPA, SMAF rep for the RP and the Forest Service), Operations and the Environmental Unit. EPA recommended SMAF obtain air monitoring equipment for continuing the monitoring of vapours for worker safety. SMAF hired an Industrial Hygenist who arrived around 1730 hours to take over air monitoring from START. START demobbed around 2000 hours. OSC Parker reviewed and signed the first Incident Action Plan and the SMAF Site Health and Safety Plan and provided a Notice of Federal Interest to the Cascade Petroleum lead, Mike Knight.
On Wednesday morning, March 14, 2012, OSC Parker met with ODEQ and RP staff for final consultation and demobbed. Excavatin of contaminated soil had started and was slated to be hauled to Coffin Butte landfill. The Forest Service was in the process of determining backfill and site restoration requirements and ODEQ was over seeing the ongoing air, water and soil sampling and analysis.
