United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region V
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

The National Response Center (NRC) received a call at 1039 CST on 02/08/2009 about an oil spill at the Caterpillar facility at 2200 Channahon Road, Rockdale, Illinois (near Joliet, IL).  The Des Plaines River is located along the southern property boundary of the Caterpillar facility.  USEPA OSC and their START contractor mobilized to the site and received the following details regarding the spill.
• at approximately 2400 hrs on 2/8/09, the alarm of the API oil/water separator sounded (the oil/water separator receives industrial oily waste water from the Caterpillar plant)
• the automatic shut off controls of the oil/water separator failed and the contents overflowed onto concrete area surrounding the separator and holding tanks
• security noticed the incident at 0745 and notified Caterpillar emergency personnel
• Rockland Fire Department and Will County HAZMAT arrived onsite
• Caterpillar emergency personnel notified local public works, USEPA, IEPA, USCG, Heritage (Caterpillar contractor)
• all notified personnel onsite to assess incident
• approximately 65,000 gallons of waste oil (~30% is oil and 70% water) was released from the API oil/water separator
• approximately 10% of the release is expected to have reached the Des Plaines River

See POLREP #2 for activities that occurred on 2/8/2009 – 2/10/2009.

On 2/11/09, the following activities were completed and/or performed:

•Heritage and Eagle Services completed on land and river (including work performed through the previous night). Cleanup activities included vacuuming up oil soaked gravel/soil and liquid; pooling liquids into dug holes for easier removal; using sorbent pads to soak up any oil sheen on river and on ground; and staging removed gravel/soil for later disposal. Placing sand berm at the top of the embankment as a countermeasure preventing any possible runoff of oil from overnight rain.

USEPA's SPCC Coordinator performed an inspection at the Caterpillar Facility.

The following are recovery and disposal volumes provided by Caterpillar staff managing their response contractors.  USEPA will confirm the following estimates by reviewing Caterpillars analytical results and disposal manifests.  This review will occur over the next few weeks as information becomes available.

Caterpillar's Estimate on Oil Recovered and Soil and Debris Removed

1) Recovered approximately 33,250 gallons of liquid at the site.  

2) Volume of Soil/gravel/debris removed.
        - Approximately 270 cubic yards of material have been collected and staged in boxes pending off-site disposal.  

3) Waste type and volume projected for treatment.
        - The waste has been classified as Non Hazardous Special Waste. Caterpillar will not be treating any of it.

4) Volume projected for disposal.
        - 270 cubic yards.

A sampling plan to investigate potential residual impact to land and river sediment was provided to USEPA and IEPA by Caterpillar’s contractor, CRA, on Thursday, February 17, 2009.  Comments will be provided back to Caterpillar the week of March 1, 2009.

At this time no additional soil, gravel or debis will be removed.  Fill material, both soil and gravel will be placed on impacted areas after analytical results from confirmation samples demonstrates no evidence of oil remaining.  Land area impacted by the release include the gravel area adjacent to the API seperator and the embankment.

The following countermeasures will remain in place until sampling supports their removal:

1) Sandbag wall along the embankment.
2) 400 feet of (double wall boom) covering area where oil seeped into the Des Plaines River.
3) Run-off collection pit.

Caterpillar will collect confirmatory samples to investigate potential residual impacts to land and river sediment.

None