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Notice and Discovery 1/12/2017 Notice and Discovery
- On December 20, 2016, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) notified EPA Region 10 of an oil spill, which during a heavy rain storm, flowed across a small industrial area road and parking lot and into a residential neighborhood.The oil spill flowed through the backyard and around at least one home, covering the yard and filling crawl space port sumps, potentially flowing into the crawl space beneath the home. Oil also was reported as continuing to flow out onto the main street in front of the home and into a ditch and culverts which lead to McKay Creek within 1/8 mile. The resulting spill necessitated the evacuation of 3 homes due to heavy petroleum fumes. The Hillsboro Fire Department initially responded to the spill in the very early hours of the morning and have continued with their investigation.
EPA Response Actions 1/12/2017 Site Update
- Once the initial notification was received, EPA immediately mobilized on December 20, 2016 to investigate and assess the origins of the spill, determine responsible party, and determine steps for cleanup. During the investigation, EPA evaluated potential sources including a large gravel-filled sump, wrecked autos, local topography and flow pathway, potentially responsible parties and facility locations, and took samples for fingerprint analysis. A subsurface sump was found to be filled with gravel and was observed to be heavily coated in oil. Air monitoring instruments were used to verify the presence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). No other potential sources were located in the immediate area. Several uncontained and wrecked cars could also be a source of the leaking oil onto pavement near the sump. Fingerprint samples taken by EPA have been submitted to the USCG Marine Safety Lab (MSL) for analysis.
Cleanup Actions 1/12/2017 Site Update
- As of January 12, 2017, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) have assumed oversight of cleanup actions at the site. Mike Greenburg, State On-Scene Coordinator, ODEQ is now the lead for the site.
