A manhole on a tank used for processing used oil for recycling ruptured at approximately 1345 hours on7/9/2009, and a plume of oil was released into the sky and to the southwest. An estimated 700 to 1,000 gallons of oil was released.
There were no injuries and the release had apparently not impacted the Klamath River, which is directly adjacent to the facility. The KCFD indicated that the situation was now a cleanup and they began to demobilize from the scene.
Mr. Fisher (operations manager) and his employees continued the containment operations while OSC Heister reported back to the phone duty officer and START conducted a reconnaissance of the site to determine the area of the release.
During the site reconnaissance, START noted the area of the oil release by observing stained pavement, soil, and vegetation. It did not appear that the oil spill had reached the river to the north; rather, the oil release occurred to the southwest from the facility, away from the river. Based on stained vegetation, the effects of the plume were observed an estimated 300-400 yards to the southwest.
